Moulin Faerie
by Asrailefay
Summary: Sookie Stackhouse is an infamous courtesan fairy princess at the Moulin Faerie, who does not believe one bit in true love. She enters into a marriage contract from a Vampire King to secure the future prosperity of their entire race, resolved to her fate – until another vampire shows up and turns her world upside down. *A Love Story* AU OOC, Moulin Rouge plot, SVM characters
1. Nature Boy

**A/N:**

 **PARODY: Moulin Rouge**

 **If you need to get excited about where I'm going with this go watch: "Eric / Sookie / Bill -El Tango De Roxanne" on Youtube. It's NOT my video (I don't own it), but it does show how well these two universes can fit together.**

 **Never again will I "tee" up this story so much, but I've included a character list with quick explanations just in case you haven't seen the movie, to give SOME context, even though it'll get built in also. Oh, and if you've seen Moulin Rouge, then skip past the character list, but still read the synopsis.**

 **The characters and main plot points belong to Charlaine Harris, Alan Ball, and Baz Luhrman, no copyright infringement is intended. I'm just taking something well known and putting my own spin on it.**

* * *

Synopsis:

Sookie Stackhouse is an infamous courtesan fairy princess at a cabaret, the Moulin Faerie, who does not believe one bit in true love – only in honor and duty. She enters into a marriage contract from the mendacious Vampire King Bill Compton – a sacrifice her grandfather assures her will secure the future prosperity of their entire race.

Finalizing contract terms and obligations, she is steely resolved to her fate – until a case of mistaken identity places a head and heart-strong vampire writer in her path, turning both of their worlds upside down.

Characters:

• Sookie Stackhouse acting as Satine, courtesan at Moulin Rouge, jaded and guarded

• Eric Northman acting as Christian, a penniless writer, a dreamer

• Niall Brigant acting as Harold Zidler, Owner of Moulin Rouge

• King Bill Compton acting as The Duke, Wealthy business man who wants to own Satine

• Pam Swynford de Beaufort acting as Toulouse Lautrec - Christian's best friend in the movie, a bohemian

• Jason Stackhouse acting as The Narcoleptic Argentinean, Christian's friend, a bohemian

• Arlene Fowler acting as Nini Legs-in-the-Air, Works at Moulin Rouge, frenenemy of Satine

• Adele Stackhouse acting as Môme Fromage, Works at Moulin Rouge, caretaker of the girls

• Dr. Ludwig acting as The Doctor

• Lafayette acting as Le Pétomane, Works at Moulin Rouge, friend of Satine

• Claudine acting as The Green Fairy, Bohemians meet her while high on absinthe

• Sam Merlotte acting as The Stage Manager

* * *

Narrator POV

There was a man, or rather a very strange enchanting vampire, who had traveled everywhere over land and sea during the course of his long life. I happened upon him by chance, and he squired me of sorts, turning me into one of his few progeny. He longed for a companion, someone to pass the time with – someone to tell his stories, and I was more than willing to listen to him, follow him into eternity.

In over 2000 years, he had seen the wonders of the world, great and small. He bid me to stay with him, until his stories were through, until he had imparted all of the wisdoms he had collected over time. I was eager to grow into the force of a vampire, of the man who towered before me. I was in awe of him, and he was awe-inspiring to myself and others alike, amassing a strong following wherever we went, like a magnet. Or perhaps we were all moths to his flame, waiting to be consumed by the heat of his light. Either way, he burned bright, more alive than most of us could have ever dreamed to be. It was inspiring, compelling. We hungered at his words, like wolves after lambs, seeking them in his every waking moment. I was thankful to rest through the night, while the humans toiled away their days with daydreams of my master and his beautiful tales. What a storyteller he was!

He told us tales of his youth, of his human life and vampire life alike. His stories were exotic and exciting. He had been a fighter, a Viking once; he was quick to school on us the world's misuse of the term, but we enjoyed categorizing him as such, much to his mirthful ire. He had conquered villages, made his people proud, as the son of a chieftain – though he admitted he was quick to succumb to dalliances with the women in his village. He was quite the ladies' man, charismatic – a trait he proudly told us had been retained despite his turning into vampire.

He had been the progeny of a merciless maker, breaking free of him after much time spent broken under his thumb – piecing himself back together, becoming a terrifying force. On the edge of our seats, we listened, eager to hear how that brute of a vampire had become the amazing creature that stood before us. He had made two other children – I had sisters! – who had been as different from each other as night and day. He had sought only the best to share his undead life, and if I could have I would have blushed with pride at his words. He spoke of them as coveted treasures, the way a father speaks of his children.

We all watched him with baited breath as he recounted his many days, although I myself had no cause to breathe. My maker started at the beginning, as people often do, and carried us through his memories. Painting a mural of his long life in words that danced in front of our very eyes. We were captivated by him. He could have led us to our deaths, like the pied piper and not one of us would have protested.

He paused as he finished regaling us with the first 1000 years of his existence, reflecting thoughtfully, inwardly, on one brief moment in time that he admitted had defined his whole existence. He shooed the others away, telling them he was in need of rest, that his storytelling could be resumed another night; it was taking its toll on him, remembering everything as if it had just happened.

I rose to walk away, but he bid me to stay. Whispering to me that some epics were simply too personal to share with every Tom, Dick, or Sally who stumbled into his path. I was grateful he did not consider me to be one of the many. We spoke of many things, fools and kings.

And with an intensity in deep blue eyes that I'll never soon forget, this he said to me:

"The greatest thing…you'll ever learn…is just to love, and be loved in return."

* * *

 **A/N: Don't be fooled by the slow start, this story will ramp up quickly, just like the movie. More? I'm pretty excited about this one. It'll be VERY different from my other two..**

 **Also"Running in the Moonlight" is NOT on hiatus. I'm going to write these concurrently.**


	2. The Green Fairy Medley

**A/N:** **Rated M for a reason,** **Way OOC**

 **That being said, let's go to the Moulin Faerie and get on with the show!** **;)**

* * *

Eric POV

This is a story about love – unwavering, unbreakable, undeniably deep and unrelenting love.

* * *

It was my 1000th year and my maker had finally released me – Gods, I was a happy vampire! For hundreds of years, I am been under the thumb of a cruel maker – Appius Ocella – who had allowed me few freedoms, working diligently to crush my hopes and dreams, my passions. I felt as if a weight had been lifted from me, and I was eager to pursue a lifestyle I had only read about in books, while stealing a moment from the vampire who demanded I pleasure his body and torment his enemies. I had been a powerful warrior – and I was still, always would be – but I wanted to reinvent myself, be someone else for a little while.

I donned a new identity quickly, a new name to carry with me on my back. No longer would I be Eric the Northman, I was Lief Erickson! I left all visage of my old self behind, cutting my hair short, but not too short, and hoofing it, with no money in my pocket; I was Lief – and Lief had zero dollars to his name. It was liberating, exhilarating; I was ready to glut myself on blood and sex – something my maker had previously commanded me not to do – and enjoy the wonders of the world.

Little did I know that my foray into the world of free-loving supes was fated to change my undead life forever, and in ways I could have never imagined.

* * *

Gods, my child Pam was lucky I was her maker – I had denied her nothing, while Appuis had denied me everything. I felt so out of sorts as I tried to assimilate into the underworld of otherly creatures. But I didn't care. I was fucking and feeding like it was all going to end tomorrow. Women! Gods, my maker had never let me fuck women and it was delightful. Gender meant nothing to vampires, but after burying myself in the female form, I found I much preferred it. Pam was right; women were sublime! So soft and supple, delicate.

Shortly after my release from the prison of my maker's side, Pam had called to me. She bade me to join her, promising she would never belie my true self, offering a life of drunken debauchery – just what I had been looking for! She told me she had happened upon a group of supernatural housemates who dabbled in the arts, while staying drunk on cheap faerie blood – I had never even had faerie blood!

They were a rag tag bunch – a mix of vampires, demons, werewolves, and elves – I almost couldn't believe my eyes seeing my uptight progeny let loose among the bohemians of the OtherWorld. It was amazing how they interacted with each other, as if race didn't exist, pontificating about unity among the species. Surviving mostly on bottled faerie blood and a human booze called absinthe, they proffered their arts and stories on street corners for meager wares.

Amazingly enough, Pam was the worst – and by worst, I mean the best – of them; she was their leader, spending her days in a drug-induced haze touting the ideals of freedom, truth, beauty, and love. She certainly knew how to acclimate to her surroundings – she was a magnificent vampire – she fit right in, shucking her high-end fashions for long flowing dresses and a fringed head scarf. I was amazed at her transformation – her vibrancy for life and adventure – and for the time being, I had decided that she was my new role model, the compass I would follow on my path to letting go, living a little.

Appius's voice had nagged at me in my head, chiding me for acting so foolishly, allowing myself to feel, reveling in the improprieties and vices my eternal existence could exploit and indulge without consequence. I banished his voice from my thoughts as I joined my child in Paris.

* * *

Upon my arrival, Pam told me, 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do,' and I did not understand at first – we were not in Rome – until she explained the Parisian OtherWorld in great detail. It sounded like a lark, a carefree life, addicting.

I walked into the shared space above a corner coffee shop to find Pam's new friends sitting cross-legged on the floor with instruments – sitars, clarinets, drums, you name it – settled between their legs. She whispered in my ear that they were trying to write a play, for some fairies who were looking to impress a big investor. I nodded as if this explanation was the most natural thing in the world, but of course it was foreign as hell to me. Why would bohemian supes waste time working for fairies? Pam caught on to my confusion through our maker-child bond – damn that thing – and giggled.

Giggled? I was jealous of her ability to be so carefree, so happy. Her giggle morphed into uproarious laughter as she took her place in the circle, before introducing me one by one to her new… nest?

"What do you think, Lief?" Pam slurred at me, after taking a deep swig from a bottle I imagined to be the fairy blood she spoke of – I had yet to partake.

"Huh?"

"Oh, Lief, you're the best – the beeessssssttttt. The story, Lief, the story."

"Repeat it, I was distracted." Or just plain not listening, but I didn't want to share that with Pam.

"It's about a goat herder," She said.

"I'm playing him! I'm that guy!" The werewolf – Jason, I think? – exclaimed eagerly, before slumping down on the couch, snoring loudly. Huh, a narcoleptic werewolf, now that was something to see.

"And the goat herder runs across a beautiful milk maid, seducing her and producing some of the best milk the world's ever seen! Beautiful, right!?" My child shouted, slapping the arm of the demon – Desmond? – to her left, as another fit of laughter overtook her.

"Yes! Yes." Desmond agreed, "But the songs, the songs aren't quite coming to us."

"Because the show needs more pyrotechnics and less singing." A figure said, popping into the room.

"CLAUDINE!" The group yelled in unison.

"Hi all!" She said sweetly, joining the circle, sitting next to me, almost in my lap. My fangs extended on instinct as her fairy scent pervaded my nostrils.

"Oh!" She smiled, "You must be new to the game, not being used to the scent of fae and all. No worries…?" Trailing off with a quizzical look on her face, waiting for me to introduce myself.

"Lief! Be polite." Pam said to me, still chuckling away like a hyena.

"Lief, Lief Erickson."

"You MUST be a writer," Claudine said, flipping her long green hair over her shoulders, "Your name; it's so… poetic!"

"I've been known to tell a tale," I said smirking, winking at her. Yep, now Lief was a writer; in for a penny, in for a pound – I couldn't remember where I had heard the phrase, but it seemed more than fitting.

"Help them write this play!" She pleaded lightly, "They are soooooo drunk! Their story? It's. Just. Awful." The broad smile never leaving her face. Apparently this was a very happy, random bunch of supes.

"OH!" Pam interrupted, "Claudine! You! You should give Lief his first taste of fairy blood! Pop his cherry, Claudine!" It was hard not to be amused by the behavior of my child – she was usually so upright, controlled. I only hoped I could reach her state of nirvana, before Appius forced me to return to him.

Claudine turned her small body towards me, and I noticed the juxtaposition of her royal blue garb against her pale skin. She looked me up and down, appraising me, making flitting expressions I could not grab onto – I wished I had spent more time with others and less time with my maker; I felt very unseasoned and out of sorts.

"Okay…. Lief…. A taste of pure fae blood in return for your contribution to the play. You gotta pay to play." She joked, stifling her own amusement, attempting to don a serious expression above her playful countenance.

And I knew then that, yes, Lief would embrace all of the OtherWorld that the city of Paris had hidden up her skirt.

"Yes," I said breathlessly, a hint of excitement betrayed by my tone.

She shoved her wrist in my face as she straddled my lap. My eyes widened, wondering if all Parisians – or maybe just all fairies – were this brazen and bold. I clamped onto her wrist at first with my hands and then with my fangs, snicking them quickly into her skin. One pull, two pulls, and my head began to swim. As I released my grip, she rose from my lap, noting the wet patch on my pants, and howled in laughter as I fell onto my back, a Cheshire cat grin spreading across my face.

I was high, for the first time in my undead life – my life. And. It. Was. Fucking. Awesome.

The night became a blur was we bounced around the loft, acting out various roles in the story that had popped into my head and begged to be released from my soul, tugging at my cheeks on its way out of my mouth. Pam was smiling at me, a genuine smile, as I wove a tale of a poor shepherd boy overcoming insurmountable odds to win the love of his life, a noblewoman far outside his class. Cheers rang out from the group, as they hugged me, jumping up and down at the enchanting yarn. Gods, I loved these supes – I did! – they were going to be my bestest new best friends. Yep, as long as the blood kept coming, Lief was going to be a very happy vampire.

* * *

Jason, the wolfie, settled in next to me, a green bottle in hand, held out like he was offering it to me.

"Absinthe. Ever had?"

"Alcohol's not for vamps." I said drunkenly lisping, playing with my tongue through my fangs – how had I never done this before? Had my fangs always been this long?

"Wrong!" Pam yelled from across the room, vamping up next to me, ungracefully flopping onto the floor on my other side. "Absinthe, it's different!" Mirth burning in her eyes.

"Shots!" A chorus rang from the crowd.

"And then, my dear Lief, your first trip to the Moulin Faerie! I'm gonna pop all you cherries tonight!" Pam said, grabbing my head with her hands, planting a wet sloppy kiss on my lips, before pushing back from me to whisper, "Master, you'll loooooooovvvvveeeeee it," so low the others could not hear.

"Plus," she said in the bubbliest tone I had ever heard from my child, "You've gotta sell your play to Sookie. She's gonna love… Oh no! You need to change!" Yep, my pants were all kinds of stained by this point – blood, dirt… other. "She needs to think you're a _serious_ writer." The 'serious' said in the most serious tone she could muster, still drunk off her ass.

Before I could shake a finger at her, she had stripped me naked, shoving a suit towards me, shrugging her shoulders when I asked where she got it. Redressed, I grabbed the bottle of absinthe and took a big swig, "Salud! To the Moulin Faerie!"

"Salud!" echoed back at me. I snatched Pam up in my arms and took to the skies, the others following by foot.

The Moulin Faerie. My maker had warned me to stay away from it, saying it was a den of sin where vampires ogled after indecent fairies who sold their own flesh by the hour – yep, being Lief was going to be wicked good fun.

* * *

 **A/N: Next up, The Can Can because We Can Can Can...**


	3. The Can Can

**A/N: Lots of POV shifts in this chapter. Bear with me, it's needed. If it doesn't say the POV changed, it didn't. Enjoy!**

* * *

Eric POV

As I sauntered into the Moulin Faerie, still tipsy from my rather large swig of absinthe, my senses were overwhelmed. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply – the air rich with the scent of fairy – shuddering involuntarily as my fangs clicked, snapping down into place. Yep, I was going to enjoy getting my cherries popped, as Pam had put it.

This place was fucking Valhalla.

The colors were vibrant – saturated greens, blues, and reds draped about the room. It was a large open space with several stages, tables, and balconies; I imagine it was a converted opera house. There were fairies everywhere – EVERYWHERE – brushing past us, up against us. One with fiery red hair had even trailed her hand about the crotch of my pants, groping me quickly before she climbed a stage to join the dance, the music blaring something about a can-can. The dancers were plentiful – in that there were a lot of them and they were… blessed physically, flesh on display, bouncing about, kicking their legs high to showcase their limberness. My eyes and head bobbed up and down at their movements – they were mesmerizing. My blood-addled mind swam, desperate to sink my fangs and hardness into every creature within my reach, as my body traveled, somehow, through the crowd to settle at one of the tables.

"Faeries are beeeeaauutttiffulllll," Pam whispered into my ear, before I set her down, "And delicious." She added, winking at me.

"Wait until you see Sookie; she's a vampire's wet dream," Claudine said to me, chuckling at my visceral reaction to her words, my cock instantly standing at attention. She licked her lips at me sensually, settling herself in my lap in lieu of locating her own chair, teasing her hands through my hair.

It all sorta looked like a wet dream to me; fuck living with Pam – this was my new home. I was going to bury myself in the warm heat of the Moulin Faerie until Appius showed up and dragged me back to hell.

"Shhhh… he's so wound up; he doesn't need any more help getting that second release," Pam said, drawing her hand to her lips to gesture that Claudine should be quiet, as they both broke into a fit of laughter.

Pam's mirth abated and she quietly said to me, "Watch the show, Maaaaaaasssttterrrrr," Motioning towards the center of the room.

I looked to the stage, my vision blurrier than usual, where scantily-clad fairies were gyrating and swinging their hips, singing a song I had never heard about asking men to join them in bed. Writhing along to the beat, the fairies, and their sugary scents, were spurring physical reactions from me that caused Claudine to shift and wiggle in my lap, her arousal fueling my own; Gods, I hoped I didn't mess yet another pair of pants before meeting this "Sookie" woman. I removed Claudine from my lap, depositing her in the seat to my right. She pouted at me, before rising to sit across Desmond's lap, who raised a glass to me in appreciation, grinning widely at the surprising turn of events.

I smiled back, cursing myself inwardly. It was last thing I had wanted to fucking do, but the story! I had to think with my big head for half a minute, promising my little head that I'd let him run wild just as soon as we got this whole charade over with.

* * *

I found myself swaying along to the beat of the music as Pam pushed a bottle of fairy blood in front of me, bidding me to consume more of the sweet nectar. Gods, I'd planned to sober up a bit, but who could refuse such a tempting treat? I tipped the bottle to my lips, savoring the rich, thick blood running along my tongue and spilled down my throat. It was ambrosia, coursing through my veins, clouding my inhibitions – I loved it!

I marveled at the orchestrated efforts, the whole building participating in a choreographed dance, while shaking the assets their respective gods had given them. Pam and team were smoking hookah beside me, completely oblivious to the spectacle in front of them, like it wasn't the most amazing thing they had ever seen in their lives. Fuck, how could they take this for granted? My eyes flitted from fairy to fairy thinking about how much I wanted hear each woman scream my name in ecstasy as I thrust between her legs and sucked the sweet liquid from her body.

My plan was forgotten as I spied the most beautiful creature I had ever seen descending from the ceiling, sitting gingerly about a swing.

Pam nudged me repeatedly, bidding me to look at the very spot my eyes were transfixed upon. My drug-addled mind sobered almost instantly.

"That's," she said punctuating the word, "Sookie," the name of the vision in front of me spilling breathlessly from Pam's lips.

My mouth hung open as I gaped at the lovely woman suspended above me.

* * *

Sookie POV

Another night, another show. But tonight was special – the King was rumored to be coming; my people's salvation.

As my trapeze bar lowered from the ceiling, I launched into my song, my voice echoing out in the silent crowd – it was pretty typical that to hear a pin drop when I made my entrance. I loved it; I hated it. Niall was officiating tonight's show and I was eager to join him, to learn more about the King – the vampire who wanted to purchase my services indefinitely.

Swinging back and forth, I sang my heart out, touting diamonds as the real way to win a girl's affections. My seat slowly descended towards the stage, where Niall was waiting for me. I trailed my hands up and down my body, slowing my movements as I cupped my own breasts, displaying my assets for the crowd, who responded in heated growls, roars, and snicks – the sound fangs made when they came down. Our audience was mostly vampires, whose interest lay in sucking us all dry while they fucked us blind.

But they weren't allowed to touch – unless they paid, of course.

Tonight, we were acting out one of our usual routines. I was a sexpot vixen chasing after an older man as he resisted my efforts; it never failed to stir up the crowd. I didn't particularly like this act – Niall was actually my grandfather and it was gross enough that he was practically my pimp without having to pretend I wanted to seduce him. But supe men loved the thought of having a young, wanton fairy for a sidepiece, and we were all about trying to fuel their fantasies. Fate truly had dealt me a fucked up hand of cards to play, but I took it in stride.

"He's here!" Niall whispered excitedly to me, pulling me from my musings, as we crouched, encircled by our can-can dancers whose skirts kept us hidden from view, changing clothes.

"Yes! You must point him out to me. What type do you think he is? Shy? Bold? How will he want me to act?"

"Little one, he's a King; he wants to own something everything one else will covet; show him how desirable you are," He paused, "Gosling, we are all relying on you – your sacrifice will ensure the future of the fairy race."

His eyes were pleading with me, asking me to accept my duty to my people. I nodded to him, donning a bright smile before popping up from our hidden spot decorated in a different, more extravagant costume – a tight white corset with fur boa tails comprising the skirt. The can-can dancers dropped their skirts to expose Niall, who was dressed only in his skivvies – the costume change signaling that my character had been triumphant in her seduction. Again, sorta ewww, but only the fairies knew we were related.

"Where is he?" I whispered to Niall, as we danced back to back, in a circle, in the middle of the rounded stage.

He peered into the crowd, exaggerating his gestures. "There," he said, "He's the one Pam's shaking a hanky at."

* * *

Eric POV

Pam drunkenly tumped over her glass of blood, knocking its contents onto my lap. She jumped from her seat, stumbling over to the next table, in search of a napkin. She hissed lowly as she ripped the handkerchief from the pocket of the vampire, waggling it in front of him momentarily.

"King Compton." She mumbled, followed by a derisive snort. She no longer sounded very drunk, and she appeared very unhappy to see him there. I gave the King a once-over; he was puny, definitely not a warrior, and maybe only 200 hundred years old, if not less - how the fuck had this young runt become king?

Returning, Pam set to work, writhing the piece of cloth in her hands across my lap to cleanse my trousers of the bloody mess she had caused; truthfully, her efforts made it so very much worse. Gods, how could I face the beautiful vision that was Sookie with fairy-blood stains all over my pants? Shit!

* * *

Sookie POV

"Are you sure?" I said incredulously; I had heard the King was… well… greasy-looking and weak.

Pam was shaking a hanky across the lap of an extremely attractive vampire; he was not what I had pictured at all. Gazing at him, I felt a tingle blossom between my thighs, excited at the prospect of bedding such a fine specimen. He was… large, obviously tall and muscular, and I wondered if he was proportional – hoping my gods would bless me with the gift of a gracious plenty for my sacrifice. Suddenly, my duty was shaping up to be much less onerous than I had originally anticipated.

Still in the midst of show, Niall grabbed at my hips, looking around my body, to confirm I had identified the right vampire.

* * *

Eric POV

At vamp speed, Pam finished her attempt at cleaning and thrust the napkin back towards the King sitting in the booth next to ours. She shook it at him, but he wouldn't take it from her. She leaned her body across his and pushed the blood-soaked handkerchief back into his pocket, smearing blood across the front of his tailored suit. Jason laughed uncontrollably at her unceremonious efforts before falling fast asleep – once again.

Her face held a shit-eating grin, as she lightly bowed, thanking the King, before she turned on her heel and returned to our table.

* * *

Sookie POV

"Oh, yes; that's him, King Compton." Niall confirmed before he exited the stage; it was time for the next scene.

I had never felt so eager to take one of our clients to bed.

"Well…" I said softly to myself, "I think it's about time I introduce myself to my future husband,"

I descended the stairs to amble towards the table of the most delicious creature – man, fairy, or vampire – I had ever laid eyes on, thinking about how I was going to fuck his brains out. Yes, I was – finally – being blessed with some luck.

* * *

Eric POV

"Would you care to dance?"

I glanced up to find Sookie standing before me, offering me her hand as she stared down at my lap. I felt frozen to my seat – her scent was tantalizing, more so than Claudine's; it reminded me of honey and sunlight. I tried to cover the bulge in my pants, inexplicably embarrassed to be sporting wood in front of a goddess like Sookie.

"Surely, you don't mean to leave a lady hanging."

I couldn't for the life of me make my damn mouth work, struck dumb by the sight of her. Pam nudged me, roughly.

Sookie tilted her head and pouted at me, making a playful noise that somehow turned me on even more. Then she faced the room, asking those in attendance to pressure me into dancing with her. She waved her sculpted ass in my face as she thrust her hips from side to side in cadence with the rhythmic clapping they made in response.

Pam shoved me from my chair, and I fell towards Sookie, my hands grasping at her sides for balance. She responded by rubbing her ass against my crotch before spinning me around. She motioned to a male fairy, who abruptly changed the music to an upbeat classical song. The other fairies coupled up and glided onto the floor to join us.

* * *

I had never danced, and I knew I moved awkwardly as Sookie pressed herself against me, slipping her form up and down my body. I didn't know what to do with my hands and held them stiffly at my sides. Pam roared in laughter at me from across the room – I shot her a glare; it wasn't my fucking fault that Appius was an asshole who never let me have any fun.

When the song concluded, Sookie leaned in close to my ear – an impossible task if not for her 6-inch heels – and softly licked my lobe, purring "Until later." Then she danced back to the stage before mounting her trapeze, rising once more above the crowd.

Pam gave me a thumbs-up, smiling broadly with her fangs down.

I was thinking about what Sookie's warm body would feel like joined with my cool one, and how her skin might taste on my tongue, when I heard Pam gasp and someone in the crowd scream. I looked up to see Sookie falling from her seat, as if she had fainted. We were all stunned, unsure of how to react. A tall black fairy man caught her, and she remained still in his arms, as he rushed her from the room.

The older fairy, who had earlier been on stage with Sookie, broke the silence, saying something about us overwhelming her, glossing over the event like it was merely another choreographed act in the show.

Pam shrugged her shoulders, "Fairies really can be very dramatic."

Claudine, without shaking her look of concern, nodded her head furiously in response to Pam's assertion. The whole table's spirits were lifted once again, as if nothing had happened at all. 'When in Rome,' I thought, chugging the rest of the bottle of absinthe that I had snuck in, slipping once again into a drugged up haze. Pam grabbed at my arm, ushering me from the room.

"Come Master, let me show you the Red Room."


	4. Meet Me in the Red Room

Sookie POV

Adele tipped a vial of something into my mouth, bidding me to swallow as I regained consciousness. I noted that I was surrounded by several members of my Moulin Faerie family, including Doctor Ludwig, who was looking down at me with interest.

Niall popped into the room, and with a hint of concern asked the doctor if I was okay.

"Just a spell, Grandfather." I answered, not giving the doctor the chance to respond, glaring at her as if daring her to contradict me.

Lafayette was by my side, holding my hand, and I squeezed his, in an effort to console him. He must have caught me – he had done it before, the last time this happened during a show. I didn't faint often, but it definitely wasn't a first; and from what I understood, this was a natural part of my condition. In truth, I wasn't at all unnerved by it. And apparently, neither was my grandfather as he clapped his hands together and smiled, glad I was still well enough to entertain our most important client – the King.

"You gave us all a fright," Niall said matter-of-factly.

"So it seems. How did you cover it this time?"

"Same as before; I think our clientele enjoys a bit of drama with their show. Maybe we should consider adding it into our repertoire."

I flinched a little, but not noticeably; I didn't want to draw any more attention to my health than necessary – the thought of pretending to faint for a couple more bucks felt… dirty. I laughed inwardly at that; I was a courtesan, who couldn't stand the thought of "faking" something – hell, I was the biggest faker of them all! It wasn't often that my bedmates were interested in anything other than their own pleasure, and I had developed my own little routine – moaning, shuddering, screaming; whatever it took to make a supe feel like he was a big man in the boudoir. As my thoughts drifted to the King, moisture began to pool between my legs – I was pretty sure I wasn't going to have to fake one damn thing with him.

"And the King?" I asked, hoping he had not left given my hasty exit from the stage.

"He waits; I will send him to you, to the Red Room."

* * *

I bid Adele to help me dress; she pulled the lacing tight on the black boned corset I had picked for tonight's activities. My breasts pushed up to their full glory coupled with a garter belt, thigh-high stockings, and fuck-me heels would surely reduce the King to a puddle at my feet. My hands shook as I curled my long, golden blonde hair; I could hardly contain my excitement.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Adele asked, eyeing my tremors, worrying they were related to my earlier episode. She always doted on me, acting like my grandmother, showing a concern for my welfare that warmed my heart.

"I am. There are things I've had to do that were… unsavory, but this won't be one of them. I am eager to bed the King. You didn't see him! Oh gods, Adele, he was scrumptious!"

"I'll take your word for it." She replied, smiling at me as she hooked my stockings to my garter belt.

"I'll be okay." I said, clasping her hands and catching her eyes, not speaking of my sexual endeavors.

"So you say."

"So I know."

She turned from me and I spied the glisten in her eyes; my reassurances had done nothing to abate her concerns. I gave her a half-smile, rising from my seated position to look at myself in the full length mirror. She brought me a see-through black robe, and draped it about my shoulders, urging me to place my arms through it.

"Powerful men like the king like it when you pretend you want to hide your form from them. He'll find a bit of innocence entrancing."

I could sense her hesitation – she didn't want to send me off to fuck the King – but it was not her decision and it was my duty – one I was not exactly uninterested in fulfilling.

"Thank you, Adele; you are always so good to me."

"You know I love you, my little princess. I want the best for you."

"As I want for you." I said reaching for her hand and squeezing it in a reassuring manner, thinking about how it was also my duty to calm the fairies around me, contribute to their happiness. I loved Adele – I did – but I was also bound to protect her, creating an uneven balance between us. While I was confident in myself this night, I had lied to her in the past, pushing my body past its limits, triggering an episode that she was quick to nurse me through. I regretted that there would forever be a rift in our relationship. That I was destined to always be this lonely.

* * *

Eric POV

Pam pulled me along by my hand, like a parent does with a human child, and I let her. I didn't know what the Red Room was, but my progeny had yet to steer me wrong since I had come into the OtherWorld. She brought me into an extravagant room, inside of an almost larger-than-life elephant statue, on the premises of the Moulin Faerie. The room was lush, draped in reds with a bed covered in furs as the centerpiece; scents of lavender and sandal-wood pervading the air. I was confused but excited; fairy-blood still swirling in my veins.

"Sell it." She said to me, and it took me a second to realize she was speaking about the story.

"Yes."

I hoped in the future I would get to do much more with Sookie than simply sell her a story for their show. I wondered momentarily who the fairies were trying to impress, interrupted from my thoughts by the opening of the door. A fucking sexy-as-hell Sookie stood before me; how the hell was I going to concentrate!?

"Hello again."

Her tone carried a wickedness that caused my cock to stand, once again, at attention. Gods, the affects this little fairy had on me! Her words had ignited carnal needs in my very soul that were enflamed by her choice of garb - she was wearing practically nothing! The story! I had to remember what I was here for.

"Pam said you would be very interested in my… contribution to the Moulin Faerie."

* * *

Sookie POV

"You're…. contribution," I said, noting his coy choice of words, "Will be much appreciated. I'm very ready to accept your _contribution_."

Niall had not been forthcoming about what kind of vampire the king was, but I had bedded my fair share of supes who held powerful positions – I knew the type. All too often they showed some sort of bashfulness when it came to dealing with a fairy courtesan, as if they didn't have the balls to ask for the thing they had paid for. He seemed similar, rather shy.

It was okay; I could pivot and change tactics – I was a professional. Even if it was not my preferred role in sexual play, I could be the aggressor, the little fairy sex kitten who was desperate to fuck a big king's brains out – it didn't hurt one bit that it was also true.

"How you do want me?" I said, with passion burning in my eyes, my voice dripping with sex.

He tensed at my words, but did not respond; I could see the excitement building in his pants. Yes, the gods had graced me with a gracious plenty – I was one fucking lucky fairy.

Taking the lead, I pushed him – knowing he let me – backwards onto the bed.

I climbed on top of him, straddling his hips; my heat separated from his member by only a flimsy layer of clothing. I noted the blood on the crotch of his pants and wondered, fleetingly, if he had been with Arlene, before making his way into the Red Room. Although she wasn't supposed to, we were all aware that she engaged in blood play with her customers – it was one of the few reasons anyone ever chose her at all. Perhaps she had fucked him while I was indisposed, recovering from my episode.

A momentary pitch of jealously swelled within me, but I tamped it down – I was going to belong to him, not the other way around.

He grasped my hips and flipped us, so I was below him, his crotch positioned at my entrance. Despite the fact he was wearing clothes, I expected that sex was imminent – vampires often ripped their clothes off with supernatural speed. But he did nothing of the sort. Instead he stumbled over his words, talking about a story or something. I was confused, but I played along, pressing my half-naked form up against his, moaning at each utterance. It wasn't my job to make my bedmates feel inept; whatever they wanted from me, they got.

Who was I to question the sexual proclivities of a King?

* * *

Eric POV

Hovering above her, I considered saying 'fuck it' to my mission, bed the woman underneath me, and let my bohemian supe friends sell their own damn story. Her lithe body pressed up against mine was almost too tempting to pass up – she had thrown herself at me as soon as she saw me. But I knew Pam would disappointed, and I had to admit I would be too. If I fucked this delectable little fairy, that's all we would ever have, this moment – I wanted more; I wanted everything. I needed a reason to be in her life, and being a writer for the Moulin Rouge seemed like my best route in.

Poetry began to spill from my lips, maybe because I wanted to impress her – more likely it was because I was still… Really. Fucking. High.

Sookie whispered sweet nothings into my ear in response, resting her hand along my length, rubbing – I had to get up or I would lose all control. I jumped back from her, shock evident on her face for a split-second before she replaced it with interest, goading me on to continue my poetic musings.

As I carried on, she lay on the bed writhing about, moaning, her hands caressing her body. I stopped, unsure of what the hell was going on – was she listening to me at all? – and she quit her ministrations suddenly, popping up.

"No no no, your pretty words; they turn me on. I _want_ your pretty, naughty words." She said, moving suddenly to sit at my feet, her hands traveling up my pant legs and across my crotch, feeling my hard length. I shuddered at her touch, closing my eyes in satisfaction. She peered up at me, her head inches from my manhood, her hands reaching for my zipper. Gods, how I wanted her mouth on my body, her tongue on my skin, but also to be in her life, important to her.

Inexplicably, I removed her hands and broke into song, professing my burgeoning feelings for her, telling her how wonderful my life was now that she was in my world. Perhaps I'd imbibed a little too much fairy-blood; yep, I was Lief Erickson – overcooked vampire, formerly not a writer or a singer, spouting out songs and poems, letting feelings grow within me that I'd never felt.

Appius would be so ashamed, but I was elated; this was the adventure I had wanted, the experience I'd been craving.

* * *

Sookie POV

I sat entranced, as he sang for me. I would never have imagined such a thing; vampires were closed-off by nature, cold and seemingly unfeeling – although I knew from experience they felt more deeply than all of us combined. In that moment, I was more uninhibited than I ever had before, wondering if it was within me to love him as well, if I could trust him with my heart instead of just my body.

This was the happiest moment of my entire life; I could save my people, and be satisfied. The universe was finally smiling at me, being kind, and spinning her yarns into a pattern that would allow me to have my happily-ever-after – and, dare I dream for it, love.

"Oh gods, I'm falling in love with a sexy, sweet vampire who happens to be the King; how lucky am I?"

* * *

Eric POV

"King?" I repeated aloud; why did Sookie think I was the king? Hadn't Pam explained to her who I was?

"Yes, I'm promised to the king – to you…"

Her eyes held questions, seeking for me to confirm that I was in fact the king she thought I was. My undead heart clenched – I was desperate to lie, but I couldn't – I just couldn't. What was this little fairy doing to me?

"Ummm…" I hesitated, sighing; I was about burst Sookie's bubble and possibly lose her forever, "I'm not the king."

Her eyes widened, "Not the king?! Then who are you?" she said, frantically, her heartbeat increasing – she was beginning to panic.

"Well, I'm Pam's…" She cut me off before I could say more.

"Oh no! Please tell me you're not one of Pam's oh so talented, charmingly bohemian, tragically impoverished writers?"

I nodded, feeling a bit ashamed to disappoint her, to watch the light fade from her eyes as she processed this information – that I wasn't the king her bed was meant for. I growled, realizing that her 'king' was the pathetic excuse for a vampire I had meant earlier in the night – King Compton.

"I'm Lief, Lief Erickson."

She hung her head, mumbling to herself. I caught enough of her whispered words – foolish, silly, stupid – to know she was chastising herself for her mistake. I reached out to rub her back, trying to offer her some semblance of comfort. She looked up into my face, tears threatening to spill, and gave me an appreciative half-smile. Then the warmth left her eyes was replaced, once again, with panic.

"The King! If you're not the king, then…"

A loud knocking at the door interrupted her. Fate has a devious sense of humor.

She whispered insistently, terror evident in her tone, "You have to go!" ushering me towards the window.

Before I could take flight, the door was flung open. She gasped, turning to find King Compton in her doorway, as I crouched to hide behind her – ha! I was far too large for that to work – before vamping underneath the bed, hoping he hadn't seen me. How the fuck was I going to sneak out of this room? My mind was processing every possible escape route and scenario, until I was struck by a disconcerting thought – King Compton was there to fuck my little fairy.

And then I saw red, wondering how much trouble I would bring to my door if I deposed the king.


	5. Spectacular, Spectacular

Sookie POV

"Oh!" I said with a start, as King Compton roughly grabbed my hand, lifting it to his lips for a kiss and a lick – ewwww. I was disappointed to see that the rumors had been true – he did look rather greasy up front.

"Sookeh, so nice to finally meet you."

Well, I guess that's one way to say my name – one really awful and weird, off-putting way to say it, but it wasn't as if I could correct him – I was here to make my bedmates feel victorious, not foolish. I smiled at him, and curtsied.

"The _pleasure_ is mine to give, King Compton."

I said, letting the words drip from my mouth, hinting at the pleasures I would allow him to experience between my legs. Even if I preferred the man under my bed, this was the one who would save my people, the one my grandfather was drafting a contract with – the one I was supposed to be fucking tonight. I chastised myself for believing for one second that the Gods had favored me with a delicious treat like Lief. No, they had been toying with me, reminding me that my life was owed to my title, my job. I belonged to my people first, and because I was no stranger to duty, I soldiered on.

The King held his hat in front of his crotch, and I figured he was trying to hide an erection – were all the men in my bed tonight going to act shy? He petted at the hat in a way that told me he was already pretty ramped up, and that once we got started he probably wouldn't last long. I was definitely going to have to fake my orgasm. He slowly peered up and down my body, admiring my barely-there outfit, stopping his assessment to his gaze at my cleavage. He watched my breasts intently as they rose and fell with each breath.

A low growl erupted from under the bed.

"What was that?" He said, pulled from whatever musings he had been entertaining in his head, snapping his gaze towards the bed. Luckily I was standing in front of it.

"That was me, my dear King. I find it impossible to silence the rumblings you stir in my chest, in my loins. You set me on fire."

I kicked my foot under the bed, hitting Lief – he needed to keep his jealous grumblings to himself right now. We were both in all kinds of danger if he was found. If I could successfully cloud the King's mind with thoughts of wild sex, survival might just be in our futures. I purred loudly, trying to mimic the sound in a slightly sexier tone, and threw my body at the King, pressing my breasts into his chest and snaking his arms about my waist. He shuddered as he touched me – and I really hoped that he had come in his pants, that he wouldn't be able to get it up for a second act.

The King smiled broadly, and winked at me. He reared his head back to strike at my neck – going right for the goods it seemed.

Lief roared, and I knew his purpose instantly – he intended to kill the King. I couldn't allow this, not only because Compton held the future of my people in his hand but because he had stationed his muscle outside my door, a fire demon with an itchy trigger hand. The death of the king wouldn't do us any damn good; we would both still perish. Gods, I hated having to protect men from themselves.

I screamed for the King to stop – covering Lief's howl – fumbling over my words as I tried to think of a reason that we should wait for him to feast on my blood. I mean hell, he'd paid for my services, and certainly he knew I had no right to deny them. The best I could hope for was to appeal to some sense of propriety in him – that he should hold off so that our wedding night would be all the more special.

I fell to his feet, clutching his legs, pressing my head against him in a submissive stance.

"Oh, surely you must know how you affect me!"

There was desperation in my voice as I dropped my sex kitten act to don the affectation of a poor fairy courtesan needy for a big, strong vampire king to steal her away from her wretched life, anxious for him to love her as she loved him. Yep, my arsenal was full of all kinds of tricks and plays.

Lief's words, his poetry, began to spill from my lips as I nuzzled my head against the King's crotch, knowing that I was distracting him as well as intriguing him. His hands wove their way into my hair, pulling some strands from my scalp, but I ignored his roughness – vampires tended to be less gentle than the average supernatural. He trembled as I moved my hands about his body, feeling his length harden at each touch – I took note that he was not nearly as blessed as Lief. Given my proximity, I hoped I wasn't overstimulating him.

I allowed a glance at the bed to spy Lief gaping at me, and I could only wish he grasped my purpose for stealing his pretty verses, for trying to convince the King that I had love for him in my heart, that I longed to create a strong foundation to build our marriage upon. This was about saving our lives – Lief's and mine. As if he read my mind, Lief began to mouth words at me in an effort to help me recreate his own professions to me for the king, who peered down at me with excitement in his eyes.

I winked at Lief right before I broke into the same song he had sung to me only moments before. I expected it would charm the King the same way it had charmed me.

* * *

Eric POV

It took all my willpower to remain hidden as I watched the beautiful fairy I wanted to be mine rubbing her supple body against such a disgusting, pathetic excuse for a vampire king, singing him the song I had designed for her ears alone.

Compton was making noises as if he has never been touched by any woman in his entire life, let alone a goddess like Sookie. The way he had said her name – "Sookeh" – revolted me; couldn't he even bother to pronounce it correctly? Gods, I couldn't bear to think that she had been promised to him, to someone who obviously cared so little about her, who she actually was. He wanted a cute little waif to hang off his arm, to show how rich and powerful he was. She was to be his perfect trophy.

And somehow I could sense she was okay with that, and it made my undead heart ache for her. I knew what that felt like, to belong to someone who only wanted to keep you like a prized possession. Appius was more than upfront that I was merely a shiny toy for his collection, and he had certainly proved those words with his actions.

"Oh gods, I'm falling in love with a sexy, sweet vampire who happens to be the King; how lucky am I?"

Gazing at King Compton with big, doe-eyes, she repeated the words she had said to me before I admitted I was not her king. I felt sick; maybe this was how she ensured future business – by making supes think they had a chance at her heart. I was not insecure by nature – hell, I was a large sexy Viking of a vampire – but I felt small, thinking that perhaps I meant so little to her.

She ushered the King from the room, babbling about the sanctity of their wedding night, of consummating their love after the show the king was apparently going to fund – the show I supposed I had written the story for. Surprisingly, he agreed to everything with a twinkle his eye, looking at her like he had found his mate. I was a bit baffled until I remembered how young he was; of course he would like the idea, he'd been born in a time when humans were puritanical about their sexual practices. Sookie had been so brilliant, conniving, playing on his desire to take a blushing bride – even though she was far from innocent.

After he was gone, I vamped out from under the bed, and she began to scold me, reminding me of the danger I had put us both in by being childish, being jealous. She worked herself up into a tizzy while I stood and watched as her breathing became more and more haggard. Suddenly she gasped deeply and slumped down towards the floor, unconscious.

I caught her and held her to my body, shaking her a bit in hopes of waking her. When that didn't work, I laid her down onto the bed. Before I could pull myself off of her body, the King burst back into the room, dropped fang and rushed towards me.

* * *

Sookie POV

I came to and rubbed at my eyes, wondering if the sight before me was truly happening. King Compton and Lief Erickson were standing at the end of my bed, hands clutched at each other's throats growling viciously. It was a different situation then when Lief was hidden, and it called for different tactics.

"Oh my!" I exclaimed, "King Compton, drop him at once!"

The King's head turned slowly towards me with a jealousy like fire burning in his eyes. It was obvious to me he thought he had interrupted a dalliance, that I had forced him from the room so that I could bed my lover. Gods, it would have been nice if that was true; instead I had passed out, once again, waking up to a terrifying situation that I was all too eager to diffuse. He opened his mouth to protest, but I raised a finger to indicate I needed his silence. I had muster all of my strength if I wanted him to believe I was not scared of him, that I hadn't been committing an offense against him.

"King Compton, I'd like to introduce you to the Moulin Faerie's newest talent – our writer, Lief Erickson. He has agreed to commission our show for us, despite his busy, busy schedule. Quite the boon! Wouldn't you say?"

The King released Lief's throat; Lief did the same.

"Okay," Compton responded hesitantly, "But then why are you fucking him? Is this how you keep him inspired?"

"How dare you!" I yelled, jumping from my bed to poke at him in the chest. I had learned that lying took a certain finesse. When accusations were hurled in my direction, I tended to do something wildly foolish in response so that it would give the appearance that I was so offended I had lost all control of myself. Poking an angry vampire definitely fit that bill, even though I – unfortunately – had not been fucking Lief.

"HOW DARE YOU!" I screamed louder, moving away from him and towards the door. "If that's how little you think of me, you should leave straight away. I professed my love to you, I sang to you! After you left, I called for the bohemians, the troop, so that they could include my words in their writings. I wanted the show you agreed to fund to be my wedding gift to you, and now!? You've ruined it! You've ruined my surprise!"

I threw myself into a heap on the floor as tears burst forth from my eyes. I was so glad Adele had taught me to cry on demand at such a young age; it was a useful skill to have. I choked out fake sobs, not pulling my face from my hands. I was a one heck of an actress.

"But he is the only one here…"

The King had barely spit out the words before we were descended upon by a whole heap of supernatural beings. The look of shock on his face was priceless as Pam, Desmond, Jason, and Claudine bounded into the room, taking up residence on the floor; each carrying a different instrument. Pam bumped into the King – accidentally, on purpose – and I had to stifle a laugh.

"Oh, Sookeh, my precious one," The King lisped through his fangs, taking my hands into his, "I am contrite and prostrate to have ruined your wedding surprise, but surely you can forgive me my trespass. And, if it eases your mind, I have not seen the show – so it will still be special for me on opening night. The show… among other things," He waggled his eyebrows at me.

I swallowed the bile that rose in my throat, but my smile still stayed on. Gods, it had never been this hard before to fake a relationship with a client.

"Now that the cat's out-of-the-bag, so to speak, can I get a sneak peek of what's to come?"

"Noooooo!" Niall screamed, barging into the room, "Dear King, it is not what you think!"

Oh gross, my grandfather had been spying on me through his telescope again. I know he wanted to make sure I followed through with the King, secured our future, but sometimes his actions were almost too damn pervy to handle.

"Niall!" I said with my eyes as wide as saucers, continuing with a punctuation of each word in hopes he would not be too dumb to miss my meaning, "It's okay; the secret's out! The King has discovered the wedding gift; he knows that we've hired this rag-tag bunch to write our new show: Spectacular, Spectacular. He's very keen to hear all about it, and. To. Fund. The. Show."

"Monies! Oh, dear King! We are so excited for a joint venture between the Moulin Faerie and your kingdom."

* * *

Niall kept fussing over the King, sitting so closely I wondered if my grandfather was minutes away from jumping in his lap, as the bohemians began to act out the basic story of the show. It was about love, a noblewoman running away with a penniless shepherd boy instead of marrying the man she was promised to – a part Niall insisted on playing, double gross. I glanced at Lief as he pantomimed each scene, wondering how much he was adapting in the moment to fit the story he hoped would unfold between the two of us.

The King was mesmerized; he rather liked it, asking if just one plot point should change – if in the end someone should die. The bohemians stopped their revelries, looked at one another, and shrugged it off; they weren't looking to weigh down their love story with such a morbid ending. Pam broke the silence with a laugh, passing a bottle of fairy blood about the room.

"Party time!"

She yelled, and the chorus of supes joined her, quickly becoming loud and rambunctious. Niall ushered the King from the room, telling him to leave the creative details to Pam's troop, while they worked out the contract. Pam et al began to drink and dance like they had defeated the greatest of enemies. Lief moved to my side, gazing into my eyes as if he was trying to read my soul. I threw my arms around his neck, devouring his mouth with a steamy kiss.

"I believe some thanks are in order." I purred at him.

I had never felt so relieved – or turned on, Lief had a very talented tongue – in my whole life. We had done it: evaded the king and taken the first step towards saving the Faerie race. Things were finally looking up; the future seemed bright than ever. And with Lief writing the show, I would get to enjoy his company for more than just one night.

From the feel of Lief's length on my hip, I knew I wasn't the only one excited at the prospect of spending more time together.

* * *

 **A/N: Up next...We Should Be Lovers ;)**


	6. We Should Be Lovers

**A/N: Many readers have shared that they hope this story won't meet the same end as Moulin Rouge. I agree the ending to the movie was very bittersweet – expected, but heartbreaking nonetheless. I make no promises – I follow my muse where she shows – but I will say this, we've got one big un-ignorable difference between Moulin Rouge and Moulin Faerie – in this world, we have magic...**

 **BTW, we are earning our "M" rating in this chapter - you have been warned!**

* * *

Eric POV

Hours later, the party had settled into a drunken haze of groping and general fuckery.

Desmond gave me a big thumbs up from across the room as Claudine bounced up and down on his lap, mere moments after flinging her underwear across the room, shouting in her fairy language some nonsense I could not interpret – from context clues, I was guessing it meant: Fuck me now, demon. Jason was, not surprisingly, passed out – not from drunkness, although maybe one of these days he'd manage it – in a red velvet chair next to the event. Man, he was going to be mad that he missed that show. Sookie had dragged Pam out onto the balcony, whispering so lowly I could not pluck even one word from their conversation. Sometimes, it was nice to deal with humans, who had no clue that supernaturals and supersonic hearing tended to go hand in hand. I growled at my inability to eavesdrop – what the fuck did Pam not want me to hear?

Sookie giggled, leaning forward to playfully swat my child on the arm. I closed my eyes, imagining that I was in Pam's place, feeling Sookie's soft fingers were dancing across my cold, dead skin. I felt the usual tightness in my pants from the perpetual erection I sported in the presence of Sookie, but also goosebumps pepper down my arms. I tamped down my shock – had I not experienced it, I would have never thought it was possible. Pam swiftly shot a look of concern in my direction and she moved as if to come to me, but I brushed her off, tamping down my side of our bond. It placated her and she resumed her all-together-too-funny conversation with Sookie – if their laughter was any indication.

I felt ashamed that I was effectively hiding from my progeny. But I was unnerved at how human I was acting, how un-Eric-like I was feeling. In a few short hours, I was a different kind of vampire – and I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. Gods, what was this little fairy sex goddess doing to me?

It didn't help that I had fucking sung to Sookie – pouring out the contents of my undead heart in what felt like the most intensely embarrassing way possible – only to become, moments later, an audience to her skills in the art of lying and seduction. I knew she didn't have feelings for the King – that much was fucking obvious – but it didn't silence the nagging voice of Appius in my head, telling me 'I told you so' as I considered that it was just as probable that she didn't have them for me either.

I was sure she thought I was just a naïve fool… until she flung herself at me, molding her small body into my rather large frame – it was like she was made for me. She nuzzled her cheek against my chest; my arms lay limp at my side, and she grabbed at each one by one to wrap them around her waist, resting my hands on her hips.

* * *

Sookie POV

"He likes it when you lick his fangs. Really revs the engine, ya know?"

Pam whispered, winking at me before she tipped her glass to take a loud gulp. Pam was almost permanently high on faerie blood, which was fine by me since she never asked me to pop open a vein.

I blushed at her words – what the fuck?! What had brought that on? If someone had asked me minutes before, I would have sworn up, down, backwards, and forwards that it was impossible to embarrass me, given everything I had seen (and done) – and yet? Here I was, pink and rosy like an innocent little human woman.

Pam threw her head back in laughter and I playfully swatted her on the arm, giggling. She continued in her hushed tones, and I knew instantly that she was trying to stop Lief from listening in on our little chat; vampires were so rude when it came to keeping their noses to themselves. Fangs too, but that didn't have anything to do with their supersonic eavesdropping abilities…

"Sookie! You! You are blushing like a little virgin! OH MY GOD, you are totally going to fuck him! Fuck him, Sookie! Fuck him! You'll loooooooooovvvvveeeee it. He's _amazingly_ talented with his tongue; taught me everything I know! I could show you if you want."

In addition to waggling her eyebrows, she'd also had slurred each and every word in her drunken stupor, except for 'amazingly' – which had caused me a nice little tingle in my special place.

"Not gonna let you tongue at me, Pam! Not unless you feel like dropping some money my way." I said smiling, and giggling.

"Offers always on the table, Princess, but only if it's au gratis. Trust me, it'll be so good you'll wanna pay me!" Another wink earning another swat.

Suddenly Pam seemed to stiffen, and she shot her head over in Eric's direction. After a moment, she loosened back up, laughing her ass off. I raised an eyebrow to tell her that I'd love to know what was up, but Pam shook her head with a 'nuh-uh' – damn, was he about to leave or something? I was really hoping to… follow through on the foreplay we had started earlier.

"So is he… uh…" Why was this so tough for me? I bedded men for a living, and here I was acting like a little schoolgirl passing notes to Pam about a guy, "Proportional?" I was eager for her response, but my body was even more interested, evidenced by the throbbing heat between my legs.

"No."

She said it with a grin, but I felt like I had been hit with a bucket of ice water – libido crushed, fantasies murdered. Whelp, at least I found out the easy way. I could've SWORN his length had felt huge pressed up against my butt, my leg…

"He's bigger than that! He's gonna split you in two!"

I about doubled-over as hard as I was laughing, and it felt like my body was seconds from orgasming just thinking about the fun I was going to have riding that sex god of a vampire.

"Wait! Wait a fucking second!" Pam screeched at me, and I stole at glance at Lief, who thankfully looked pretty lost in his own thoughts.

"Shhhhhhh!"

"You're gonna give him a freebie, but not me?" Pam's whiny voice was accompanied by a pouty face, jutted out lip, and batting of eyelashes – oh that Pam. I couldn't believe it took her that long to put two and two together.

"I promise if you ever get the proper equipment – and I'm not talkin' about a strap-on – I'll toss you a freebie."

Pam howled in laughter, as I left her outside to go jump that hunk of a vampire who was standing mere feet from my bed. I was too wound up to wait one more fucking second. Pam dutifully ushered all of the other bohemian supes from the room and I sauntered my way up to Lief, swinging my hips as suggestively as possible.

* * *

Eric POV

Suddenly I was very aware that we were very alone, Sookie and I. She was in front of me with her soft body pressed against mine; her pert nipples were standing at attention, taut against the fabric of her lingerie, teasing me to rip the thin piece of cloth from her body. I could scent her arousal wafting through the small space and it was taking everything in my power not to flip her around, bend her over, and pound into her until she screamed a name was mostly mine - Lief.

All I could think about was all the ways I hoped to bring this beautiful faerie hundreds upon hundreds of earth-shattering orgasms. I had never been a selfish lover, but I was particularly interested in giving over receiving when it came to Sookie. I wanted to rock her world, and then rock it again until the sun forced me from her bed. From the hooded look in her eyes, I was quite sure that she and I were on the same wavelength.

Sookie laced her fingers in mine and led me to the bed, deja vuing our earlier engage by pushing me down. Instead of crawling on top of me right away, she stood before me and performed a strip tease, peeling her clothes slowly and sensually from her body. She glided her hands over each naked piece of flesh as it was uncovered, cupping her breasts and even her sex, bidding my eyes to follow her intimate touches. After several minutes, she was practically naked wearing nothing by her garters and heels. I was about ready to explode.

She climbed onto the bed, making moves to divest me of my clothes. She paused as she looked once again at the fairy blood stain, furrowing her brow.

"Pam spilled her drink." I offered, and she breathed a sigh of relief, resuming her quest to get me naked.

I tried once or twice to touch her during her ministrations, but she shooed my hands away. Although I was not prone to comply with other's requests – Appius had beaten into me that it showed weakness – I dropped my arms to my sides, letting Sookie take the lead. My length was pressing against the zipper of my pants, excited and ready to bury himself inside her. Seconds later, she had freed my gracious plenty, biting at her lower lip as she discovered just how large this Viking really was. Lust burned in her eyes, and she looked fucking sexy as hell.

"You don't wear underwear. Yummy."

She climbed over me, claiming my mouth with a kiss, wrapping her tongue around my fangs one at a time as she lowered herself slowly onto my length. I couldn't believe how tight she was or how easily I fit inside her; it was like we were made for each other. Pleasurable little electric shocks coursed throughout my entire body, and words of love in my native tongue spilled from my lips. I'm also quite certain that I purred as Sookie began to grind her hips in circles. I pulled myself up to a seating position, lowering my head to her breast to nibble and lave at her peaked buds with my lips and tongue, respectively – of course. She shuddered from the sensation and I felt her walls clench around me, screaming her orgasm as she lost herself in ecstasy, weaving her hands into my hair to tug and pull. I continued to lick and suck, hoping to extend her pleasure for as long as possible. As she came down from her high, her face held a dreamy expression and I would have never believed it possible but she looked even more beautiful than ever. Her skin began to glow, and I noticed there was a small circle of light forming around us. The air felt charged, and the electricity already shocking its way through my body was amplified by its presence, seemingly having the same effect on my sweet fairy.

She started to take charge once more, but I stopped her, flipping us to hover over her body – I wanted to worship her like the goddess she was. I moved inside her, paying careful attention to her responses, to learn what she liked; my efforts were spurred on by soft mewls and loud moans. When she pulled herself up by digging her nails into my back to nip at my chest, I nearly came undone, but I managed to hold back – I wanted her to come again first. Nuzzling my face into her neck, I dragged my fangs over her supple, tanned skin, as she peppered my hair with kisses. She shuddered with each graze, finally succumbing to a second wave of intense euphoria as I licked the length of her collar bone. She turned her head, offering me her blood, but instead I kissed the spot over her carotid – no, tonight would not be a night for feeding; this was about her, not me.

The luminescence around our coupling was getting more intense as we became more and more frenzied, but never losing sight of the reverence we were paying to each other's bodies. Sookie writhed underneath me; her moans getting louder and louder, and I knew I was mere moments from my own release, letting growls and grunts escape my throat as my beast overtook me. She noticed my impending orgasm and redoubled her efforts, enhancing our mutual bliss. Both of us were panting fiercely – even though I had no need, somehow I couldn't stop myself. The light that encircled us continued to grow larger and brighter. She began to babble in her fairy language and I responded in my own native tongue, even though neither of us knew what the other was saying.

As we simultaneously reached our climaxes, roaring our raptures, the light consumed us in a hot white bubble and exploded, leaving little wisps of red and blue and white and purple lights dancing in the air, tickling at our trembling bodies as they fell towards the floor. I wondered if it was per usual in Sookie's book, but she answered my unspoken thought with her awe-filled whisperings, reaching to touch at one of the strands with her finger.

"Wow… Amazing… that's never happened before…"

* * *

I threaded my fingers through Sookie's playing with her hand as she spooned against my body, basking in our post-coital bliss. I was dazed, sated in a way I'd never experienced in my 1000 years, but that nagging voice in my head forced me to break the silency goodness, pointing out the very large elephant in the room.

"Before... when you thought I was the King, you said that you were falling in love with me. Was that…?" The question evident whether or not I wasted the words to finish it.

"Part of my bag of tricks?"

"Yes." I said, steeling myself for an answer I may not want to hear.

"What do _you_ think?" She answered, almost purposefully avoiding my eyes, sitting herself up and away from my arms. She shrugged her response, with a hint of despondency in her voice, "I'm a courtesan; I get paid to make supes believe what they want to believe. What about you and your _poetry_? I bet you sing for all the pretty ladies you try to bed."

"No, that was… a first."

Unless I had imagined it, she looked pleased to hear it was something that had only been for her. I longed to stay with my fairy goddess, to show her how much I had meant those words, but I could sense that sunrise was close at hand. I sat up and swept my legs out from under the covers, sitting on the side of the bed to get dressed.

"I meant it, every word. You and I should be together. It's like our bodies were made for one another. Be mine; let me take you away from all of this." I said as I slipped one leg and then the other into my pants, after seeing how she flinched when I said 'mine,' I knew she would refuse my offer.

"No, I have to marry the King. And you can stop being nice to me now; you already got into my pants. One free fuck, on the house."

She said flippantly, waving me off with her hand – and I felt sorry for her. She had a wall inside her higher than mine; she was afraid to let herself feel anything. But I was also angry with her because she was belittling the beautiful experience we had shared, trying to tell herself (and me) that it meant nothing.

"Don't do that! Don't act like there is nothing between us, that our coupling meant nothing. We made love! That was love we shared!" I snarled at her; Gods, she was as frustrating as she was delectable.

"Don't use words I don't understand. My life is for duty, and duty alone; there is no room for fairytale bullshit, like love." She said, sweeping a stray hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear as she tugged the covers around her small form, visibly saddened by her own words.

"It isn't bullshit! And living without love isn't living at all." I, of all creatures, knew with certainty that was true. Maybe I didn't have love fully figured out, but I damn sure was going to find out before Appius snatched me back into my indentured life. I was going to live, _really live_ – so I had something to hold onto in my dark hours, "Duty is what binds us, but love? Love is like oxygen, freedom. It is necessary for happiness, for life."

"Coming from the vampire who doesn't need to breathe!"

"Ugh! It's a FUCKING metaphor! You've got to embrace life, Sookie! Steal a moment for yourself before there's none left!"

I crashed my lips into hers with a force I knew might leave bruises, but she returned my affection just as eagerly, sweeping her tongue into my mouth to battle mine for dominance. Tears streamed down her face, and I finally saw behind her mask. She wanted this to be real as much as I did; it was all there in her kiss.

"Let us steal this one moment and love each other, min älskade; we both need this, you know I'm right." I said, cupping her cheek and gliding my thumb over her soft skin. I leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before backing up and taking flight.

She ran out on the balcony stark-naked to watch me leave. As I disappeared into the night, I heard her say something that caused my undead heart to swell. And I knew it then, with certainty; I was in love.

* * *

Sookie POV

As he left, I wished I could fly away with him.

I didn't have to pretend with him – we had made love, and I could not bring myself to regret it. It had been a beautiful experience, transformative – and I thought maybe we had faerie-bonded (not that Niall had ever told me what that entailed.) Lief had done the impossible; he had sparked hope in me that I could have something real. He was offering me the chance to live, to love, and I wanted so very much to love him – not just with my body, but with my heart.

And my heart had already made my decision for me.

He asked for a moment, just a brief, fleeting moment in time. It wasn't a lot, and I knew I needed a beautiful memory to make my sacrifice feel worthwhile, to hold onto when times got tough – tougher than they already were. The fate of the fairy race truly rested on my shoulders and I could not, would not, shirk my duty to my people – as their princess, I owed them my life. But one moment of selfishness in an otherwise selfless life couldn't hurt anyone – could it?

"Ugh! He's going to be so bad for business; I can tell."


	7. Contracted to a King

**A/N: Happy New Year! And, my gift to you, new POVs. More questions answered and FYI, I. Hate. Bill. So maybe not the story for you if you're Pro-Bill cause I write him like I see him - as an awful asshole.  
**

* * *

Bill POV

"My dear king, please… take a seat!"

Niall said it, grinning like a clown while pulling out the seat across from his desk. No, I would not stand to sit subserviently in front of the fairy who was begging for my help. I swept my smoking jacket to the side and waltzed over to his chair, behind the desk. No sense in letting him think I was anything but the King – of this country, of these proceedings, of the Moulin Faerie.

After seeing Sookeh _perform_ , I had decided it was good to be the King.

"You know my terms, Niall. I want Sookeh, in every way and position; her body and her heart – all of her. She will stand my side; she will walk behind me; she will kneel in front of me. She. Will. Be. Mine. If you cannot give me Sookeh, then the deal is off and we have no further need to speak of this silly contract."

I waved my hand to punctuate my words, to show him that this one thing was my non-negotiable item, everything else was… on the table for further discussion. I removed my hat and rested it upon my lap, to cover my growing erection. Just thinking about that little fairy woman kneeling on the floor, nuzzling her face against my crotch – it was almost enough to make me come in my pants. Again.

I had never wanted any creature so much in my entire existence. She was beautiful and she would look exquisite draped in furs and hanging on my arm. I would be the envy of my entire kingdom; nay, the entire supernatural world. And I was sure she was a vixen in the sack. I wasn't pleased knowing how she had _learned_ her erotic skills, but I would save her from this life, be the only being from here-on that took pleasures in her bed.

Not that I wasn't going to fuck others; of course I would take my pleasure when and how I wanted it – I was going to own _her_ , not the other way around. Plus, I had a reputation to uphold; one that consisted of taking the things I wanted, even when those things happened to be women. Thank the Gods, vampires had the gift of glamour, a gift I was certain was meant purely to exploit the human race so that vampires could feed and fuck without fear of reprisal. I kept four human women in my bed and my home; they were disposable – all humans were – but if Sookeh tried to dismiss them, I had every intention of showing her the _duties_ the wife of a vampire King was required to suffer – the meaning of _ownership_. Yes, she would find her place quickly or painfully, but she would play the role Niall had continually insisted she was born to play.

He also seemed to believe that her existence was made alone for my pleasure. I liked this about him. It almost shadowed my hate for the entire fairy race – almost.

Abominable creatures, fairies, openly succumbing to their basest desires and writhing their bodies in front of the whole of the supernatural world, selling themselves for what accounted to pennies in comparison to my vast fortunes. It was disgusting. I had first come to the Moulin Faerie to shut it down – I was not going to allow such depravity to persist in my kingdom, despite its tithings. But then I saw her – Sookeh – and she shined like a light in a coal mine. She was stunning, she was sought after – and she needed to be mine. She would be my most prized possession, the crowned jewel of my collection, my songbird locked in a pretty cage.

And, as fate would have it, I had something the fairies wanted – a bargaining chip it would seem. It put me in my favorite position – one of domination and power. I had them by the balls, so to speak; I liked to hold my enemies by the balls – it was electric to see the fear in their eyes as they realized that there was nothing they could do to keep themselves from getting fucked – metaphorically, of course… mostly.

What could I say? It was good to be King.

* * *

Niall POV

The king absconded my chair and I could only pretend not to be livid. I was Prince of the Skye Fae, a title I could not wield in this realm – not at this time, not without the help of the revolting creature sitting across from me. In my seat. But I put on a good show – I always put on a good show – because sometimes it had to be about the long game; something my granddaughter Sookie understood in spades. I did not rejoice in her fate – it is not what I would have wished for her – but sometimes fate, it seems, is just a fucking bitch.

Sookie had been raised as a Princess, owing everything first and foremost to our people. It was hard times for the Faerie race; we had been forced from our own realm and confined to the human one. It… had not been an easy transition. We were thrust into an unforgiving world where we stood out like a sore thumb. Ours was a beautiful race, ethereal, and we did not travel easily among mortals. It became necessary, quickly, to carve out our own space, to create our own world inside this one – the Moulin Faerie. We survived by doing the thing we always did best – spurring feelings in others like they had never felt before. We were addicting in more ways than one – our blood, our bodies, all provided an unparalleled experience that could not be denied and was desired, in some cases, above all else.

We were a dream that supernaturals longed to have at night.

So we traded using the few weapons we had in our arsenal – our bodies, our blood, ourselves. And it turned out, it wasn't as cold or as hard of a life as we had feared. At times, it was downright enjoyable and fun. Life was one big fucking drunken party and we were the beloved hosts, the envy of the entirety of the supernatural world.

We kept the humans at bay with magicks and spells; we had neither the time nor the abilities to hide our natures from them and we wanted to be faeries, as free as we could be to be ourselves in an unforgiving and harsh world. It had been nearly impossible to accept that half the time this world was dark, and full of our enemies – so unlike the sunny paradise we had come from, been expelled from.

It worked okay for a while, and we told ourselves that this was our new life and that we would make the best of it – we were nothing, if not fighters. Sookie handled our people well, kept them happy and carefree, shouldering much of the burden when it came to our more unruly clients. She was a siren; she called supes to her especially when they were a danger to her kin, and sometimes she could quell their bloodlust, and sometimes she couldn't, but she always returned unscathed, as far as anyone could tell. I saw how the light was dimming in her eyes, how vacant they were becoming, how sick she was becoming. And I knew we could not keep going it this way and that we had to find a path back to our own realm – so that we could thrive and be joyful once again.

Soon after, the King sauntered into our lives, intending to close us down. He thought, despite the fact that he eagerly accepted our dues to his kingdom, that we were a black mark on his reputation that needed to be snuffed out, swiftly and without mercy. My precious granddaughter knew something was happening and, perhaps without even meaning to, she worked her magic, made him want her, and he had in turn spared all of our lives. She was a spectacular specimen, the best of our kind – a true princess. She had saved us all from a culling that would have extinguished our race. And she had done it all without even knowing who he was or what he looked like.

But I knew, and I was quick to sweep to his side when I saw he was enthralled with her to secure our future permanently. And I knew then that the Gods had smiled on us, brought him into our path for a reason because he possessed a cluviel dor – and he didn't even know it. I sensed it immediately because he carried it on his person; he probably enjoyed the feel of its magic without understanding why. Cluviel dors tended to draw supernaturals, but they didn't fully recognize, or understand, their power. I knew he didn't know because when I suggested a trade, Sookie for his necklace, he agreed without preamble, demanding that she was to become his, forever. I was… shocked to say the least, and I realized I had to traverse this path carefully; our future depended on it.

I laughed off the exchange, explaining that while Sookie was for sale, it was a nightly thing and that a more permanent arrangement would, of course, require a contract – because I had to be sure that he would not simply run away with Sookie without turning over payment. That necklace, the cluviel dor, was our ticket back to our own world – a magical item like that was actually a wish and I was going to wish us all back to the Faery Realm, to save Sookie from the nightmare I had helped to inflict upon her.

* * *

Bill POV

"I like this gift that Sookeh wants to give me, very much so. I understand that you have neither the funds nor the funding to pull it off without my help. It would seem to be that it would make her very happy also."

What better way to show off my latest acquisition then to let her perform in a room full of all of my closest friends and enemies. I would be the talk and the envy of the supernatural world for weeks and weeks; my fairy wife would be the star of everyone's fantasies while she got down on her knees and fulfilled mine. I could think of nothing more exciting.

"Yes, I believe it will benefit us all," Niall said, submissively. I really had him over a barrel; good, that's how I wanted all the fairies to be in my presence.

"The necklace, the monies, and some jewels; this is what I will give you in return for the show and for Sookeh."

Niall produced a contract out of thin air and laid it before me.

"Yes, my King. Those are the terms. After the show is complete, we will make the trade, and she will be yours, for eternity."

Eternity, I liked those words. I was staring down eternity as it was. Perhaps, if Sookeh was a good and subservient wife, _giving and loving_ , I would keep her for the rest of time – fairies were known to have long lifespans, but not immeasurable – at some point or another they were victims to the darkness of death.

I signed the contract, producing a fountain pen from my lapel and drawing blood from my wrist. Niall did the same in kind.

"You are a stupid fairy, Niall. To give up such a treasure for so little. You and your people really are just greedy, foolish whores. While you may regret this for the rest of your life, I will revel in my absolute victory over you and your entire miserable race. I'm sure my words anger you, and I don't care. Remember this, fuck me over and I will destroy you one by one, starting with your precious _granddaughter_."

Yes, I knew that Sookeh was in fact his relations. I never entered into any business dealings without doing my homework, which included an extensive background check using a database that I had created, detailing all familial connections throughout the supernatural world. It was how I rose to power at such a young age. You can blackmail a lot of people when you know who has their blood and whose blood they have. My maker had taught me to seek power at every turn; I could even feel her pride in me as I killed her for hers. I was a good vampire – amazing, if I did say so myself.

It was a good night; I had secured a wanton fairy whore to service my every need – yes, it was good to be King.

* * *

Niall POV

And there it was.

I had sold my Sookie to the devil, the devil who knew more about my family tree than anyone else on the human plane. His words were meant to frighten and anger me, and they did both. But we would soldier on, make the best of our plight – and Sookie would never know she had great cause to fear him; it would only serve to make her sacrifice that much harder to stomach and she did not deserve that pain.

No, I could save her from everything; all I needed was the damn necklace. That necklace was our salvation, her salvation, and until we got it she needed to play a role, her part in this little charade, and continue to curry the favor of the King. As long as he wanted her, and thought he could have her all to his own, we would be safe – we would secure our futures.

* * *

Sookie POV

My grandfather came to me, after Lief flew from my balcony. I rushed to draw my robe about me; I had not clothed myself since I had made love to Lief, enjoying the scent of him on my skin.

"Gosling, what have you done?"

"What makes you think I have done something?"

"Don't lie to me child! You reek of sex; who did you fuck?"

"I didn't catch his name, but he paid so I complied."

I lied, producing a wad of bills from my dresser – it was money I had been hiding, not for this occasion, but for myself. It made me feel like I could leave whenever I wanted because I had the means to do so. I could not tell him the truth; Lief would have to be a secret or my grandfather would remove him from the Moulin Faerie – I was not allowed dalliances or dreams.

Niall smiled at me, and clasped my hands into his – I guessed he believed me.

"Gosling, the King has accepted the contract; you will be his – you no longer need to accept payments or bed others. You will belong to him, and him alone."

I felt a pit growing in my stomach, but I tamped it down.

"I understand. Thank you for telling me, Grandfather. This is wonderful news."

While expected, it was still bad news – essentially, I was being told that my life was officially no longer my own.

Fuck that shit, there was time still to live my life, carve out my own island of happiness. When I lived in the King's house, I would belong to him, until then my heart and my body were for Lief.


	8. Come What May, I Will Love You

Sookie POV

I should've cared what Niall had said, but I really fucking didn't. I wanted my happy memory.

Niall and the King were so busy renovating and transforming the Moulin Faerie that they hardly even noticed when we started rehearsing for the show, let alone our stolen moments. Lief and I were quite nearly connected at the hip – and no one suspected a thing, because why wouldn't the writer and lead actress spend an inordinate amount of private time _hashing_ out the story? Every chance we could, we _hashed_ it out like bunnies with my legs wrapped around his waist as he jackhammered my orgasms out of me.

Nothing. Fucking. Hotter.

Lief was sexy as hell, but somehow sneaking around made our playtime all the more spine-tingling. It was like we had this dirty little secret, a whole world to ourselves – we could barely keep our hands off each other. Pam's little troupe of supes didn't care; they really wanted to watch us fuck, but that was never going to happen.

We weren't shy – and as fucking good at it as we were, why would we would be? I'd bedded more supes than I'd cared to count, and Lief had such a huge _talent_ I couldn't believe for one minute he hadn't shared it with the world. And his tongue! Hmmmm, the things he could do with his tongue. Just thinking about it made me tingle. There. Were. No. Words. Mostly guttural noises and impassioned screaming.

No, we weren't shy at all about sex – we just wanted our moments to be ours.

But it wasn't all sex, sex, sex – I mean, there was sex, and a fuck ton of it, but we shared tender moments too. It turned out we also really enjoyed making each other smile. Moments I would cherish forever. Like the time Lief caught me behind a column, grasped my hand into his, and pulled me into his body. He had gently hooked his finger under my chin, bidding me to look up. I had tried to claim his mouth with mine, but he'd vamped away, chuckling as I stood in a stunned silence. I couldn't help but laugh right back.

Sometimes that vampire was too damn cute for words.

But we fucked up – I fucked up – and Niall caught us, spying us from the platform suspended above the stage as we groped at each other like horny teenagers eager to divest the other of their clothes. My grandfather and I locked eyes and I knew the jig was up, untangling myself from Lief, insisting I had some "faerie needs" to take care of. I got a small smile from him as I walked away, but I didn't think he really believed me – his eyes told me so.

* * *

Niall descended from the rafters, following the King who had narrowly missed the _show_ Lief and I were putting on. I couldn't think of one damn reason why I hadn't noticed them before it was too late – I had thought we were being careful… well, careful enough.

"Gosling, just what pray tell do you think you are doing?"

Niall said, grabbing my elbow and pulling me deeper backstage, away from the supes, away from the King.

"Nothing, grandfather; why do you ask?"

Yep, I knew he had me, but still I lied – call it wishful thinking.

"Don't be daft, Sookie. You know that I know! I SAW YOU! Now tell me! What. Are. You. Doing?"

"I'm trying to enjoy myself!"

"Enjoy yourself alone, if you must! You are promised to the King! Your bed, your blood – all of you; and yet you _dally_ with _the writer_. You risk all our lives! Yours! Mine! Your people's! How could you do this to your people?!"

I collapsed to the ground, tears spilling from my eyes. My people; why had I decided my few moments of happiness were more important than the entire Faerie Race. In the moment, I could not remember why being selfish had felt like the right choice.

"You have denied the King for far too long, and he grows tired of it. You are losing his eye, his trust, flitting about with that other vampire. You must show him you are his… Tonight."

I glanced up at my grandfather and he looked at me with a sad expression, his own unspoken apology.

"Sookie, you will go to the King's castle; he is waiting for you. You will bed him and exchange blood, put all this other silly nonsense behind you. Never forget, my dear, you are a Princess with a sworn duty to protect your subjects. Do not let them, or me, down. You are the only chance we have to return to the Fae Realm, to get out of this dark and ugly world."

* * *

Lief surprised me, appearing behind me as I primped in the vanity mirror in my real room – not the pleasure den where I bedded my clients – dressed in a blood-hued bra with a matching thong. His eyes widened as he drank in my form, his fangs dropping of their own volition. It seemed the King and Lief had one thing in common – they both had a dark appreciation for the color red.

He placed his hands on my hips, catching my eyes in the mirror's reflection.

"No."

It was all he said, and I broke our gaze, reaching for a powder puff to pat along my décolletage – a mutinous tear trailing down my cheek.

"I have no choice."

"There is always a choice!" He snarled at me, spinning me around to face him.

"No, there is not," I responded, placing my hand on his chest – not to push him away, but to have some physical connection to him, "You knew what this was. It was only ever going to be a moment. The King has demanded my presence, and I must go to him."

He roughly grabbed my wrist and shoved my hand away.

"Then go! Fuck your fucking King. See if I care."

And then he was gone.

I stood for a minute, trying to control the emotions swirling within me – but it was no use. My body wracked with sobs, and my breathing became labored. Suddenly I was unbearably hot, ripping my few clothes from me with a strength I did not know I had, and then everything went black.

No, I would not make it the King's that night because I had once again succumbed to the darkness, my illness overtaking me.

* * *

Adele POV

I found Sookie unconscious on the ground – naked and tremoring – when I came by to help her dress for the King. She had never looked so pale, and tiny. How had none of us noticed that she had gotten so small? It was not as if her show clothes had left much to the imagination – but apparently they had.

I called Doctor Ludwig straight away, throwing a robe about Sookie before yelling for Sam, our stage manager, to help me pick her up and lay her in her bed. Sam complied and then stood at my side, offering me a small comfort by lightly squeezing my hand in his. Even though Sam wasn't really one of us – he was a shifter – I enjoyed his company; I felt calmer in his presence.

The little doctor popped into the room and began her ministrations, poking and prodding at my Princess, trying to wake her, but to no avail. With pity about her countenance, she bid me to call for Niall.

* * *

Niall POV

It was worse than we all had ever realized.

"The treatment has given her a few more years; we can be grateful for that, but your Sookie is dying. The iron poisoning in her blood has done far too much damage; she will not recover."

The words were like daggers to my heart as they left the doctor's mouth, not because they were said sharply but because they wounded me deeply.

"Dying, are you sure?"

"Yes, and I am very sorry to say it, but she does not have long; maybe a couple more days… a week at most. Truly, it has ravaged her blood, destroyed her tissues. She has only furthered the damage by straining her heart, exhausting herself. You must let her rest, and sleep."

"Yes, of course. Adele, let know no call on her tonight. I will handle the King, and bear his fury if it comes."

I said, turning to the crying faerie woman who had doted on my dear granddaughter as if she were her mother. Sam was hugging Adele close, also visibly shaken by the news. I feared this would be everyone's response – that everyone would begin to mourn my precious Sookie as if she were already dead. While I did not want to begrudge them their grief, I knew what had to be done.

"No. One. Will. Tell. Her."

It was an order, not a request, and the others in the room – Ludwig, Adele, and Sam – stiffened in response. I repeated myself with even more authority in my few words.

"Not. One. Of. You. Will. Tell. Her."

"But Niall…" Adele pleaded with me.

"BUT NOTHING!," I growled at her, "She should not spend her final days watching all of your sad faces pitying her, knowing she has no time left! No one will tell her and that is final! And if one breath or whispering of her condition leaves this room," My face morphed and I stood before them in all my faerie glory – razor sharp teeth, claws, et al, "You will suffer the full force of my ire!"

Adele did not cower, as the other two did, opting instead to approach me and pat me on the arm.

"Yes, Prince Niall, we will protect our little Princess. She will not waste her final days drowning in misery. You are right; it would be an awful way to die watching everyone let you go before you have gone. You are right…"

Slowly my features softened, calmed by Adele's words and actions.

"We must protect her as she has protected us; in a few days, she will wed the King, and we will have the necklace. We will take her with us, bury her in the Fae Realm. And we will see her again in Summerlands, once we meet our own ends."

I nodded at Adele's short speech before popping from the room. If we were to take our Princess back to the Realm – to the Summerlands – we would need that necklace. I intended to lie my ass off to avert disaster, but unfortunately no lie, however great, was going to save Sookie.

* * *

Bill POV

Sookie was contracted to be mine, but I was growing tired of this nonsense. She was always so fucking busy rewriting this scene or that. She was exhausting herself in an effort to put on a show that would please me – so much so that she could not even find the strength to fuck me – as she and Niall had insisted countless times. But now that the show was days away, and the story was complete, I wanted to ease all my tensions between my future wife's legs. I would accept no more excuses; it was time to fuck and blood bond – then she would be mine forever, belong to me.

But then Niall had come, instead of Sookie, spouting lies that made me wonder who the fuck they thought they were messing with.

"Church? You want me to believe that Sookie is at church?"

What a crock of bullshit; who did this faerie think I was? No one would ever buy such an obvious lie – Sookie was a faerie and I was pretty damn sure that faeries didn't have fucking churches. As far as I could tell, faeries had no gods at all, acting as shamefully as they did, selling their bodies as if they had no dignity, no honor.

"It is the truth, my King. She is at one of the churches in your Kingdom, praying to your God to absolve her of her sins. She was so upset tonight, thinking that she would come to you, offer you her body and her blood, with not one ounce of purity within her. She loves you; she wants to become the woman, the wife, you want her to be before joining you in matrimony, in bed."

That… intrigued me. How could Niall know that I was turned at a time when a woman's purity was paramount to their worth – it was something… I understood. Then I remembered how Sookie had thrown herself to the floor, professing her love for me while asking me to wait, to make our first time special. A smile curved on my lips as I recalled the feel of her hands about my crotch as her head brushed against my length. I did not trust Niall – not one bit – but since he was echoing Sookie's words she had said to me before – and I was still very interested in delighting in Sookie's _charms_ – I did the unthinkable and I believed him.

"Good. That is good of her… let her become pure again... for _one night_ …"

I said snidely, dropping my fangs to punctuate my next words, lest their meaning not be clear enough for his puny faerie mind to interpret.

"But you will deliver her to my bed tomorrow night – with bells on – and she _will_ submit to me and bind to me in blood. If you do not deliver her, if you give me ONE FUCKING MORE sniveling excuse, my little Faerie Prince, you can count your race extinct. I will execute you one by one, and without mercy. I may even turn some of you, just for the fucking fun of it."

Niall's donned a countenance of sheer horror as all the color drained from his face. Yes, he had understood; he knew when it would fucking mean if one more night passed without Sookie tied to my side.

* * *

Eric POV

I flew arounds for hours – angry at her at first, but then at myself. I knew what I had proposed, that we find a small sliver of happiness, but my time with her had made me greedy for more. I felt awful for yelling at her, for throwing her duty in her face, for expecting more than she had ever promised. I needed to see her, make things right. I could only hope I hadn't fucked everything up.

I went into Sookie's room through the window to find her lying in bed, wrapped in a robe; her hair a bit disheveled. Her arms were drawn about her as if she was hugging herself, and I could smell her tears. She might have been sleeping, but I could not be sure. I sat down beside her.

"Did he hurt you? Are you okay?" I whispered, gently running my fingers through her hair. If the King had damaged her in any way, I was going to kill him.

She responding slowing, mumbling a bit.

"I did not make it to the King's, something came up."

Something was off, but she did not look well and I did not want to push her. She enclosed my wrist with her hand, trying to lift herself up – I put my arms around her, resting her on her butt with her back against the headboard. She smiled at me and I swept a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry for my behavior before. I should not have been jealous, or angry with you."

"We can't do this anymore, Lief."

"Please forgive me, Sookie. I will no longer be jealous; I will be happy to love you and have you, even just for a short while longer."

"We've been caught; Niall knows, and if he found out, the King will surely catch on soon."

I enclosed my arms around her and she sighed into my shoulder, her tears abating at the touch. She whimpered, and her chest heaved; she did not really want to give this up, and neither did I.

"We will be better… we can be stealther. We have been risky, foolish. Tell Niall we have stopped. We will make everyone think it is over. We will put on an act around them, Sookie; and then I will come to you here – away from prying eyes. No one else will know."

"Lief…"

I was begging her – Eric fucking Northman was begging a woman to let him into her life – but it finally hit me; this was love. I hadn't just made love to her; I was in love with her. I wasn't trying to sway her from her purpose, but I had to tell her. She deserved to know she had found love.

"Sookie, I'm in love with you."

"Oh, Lief, I'm in love you too."

And with that her resolve to push me away was broken, but not the duty to her people.

"But I will still have to sleep with the King. I have to. Can you handle that? I don't want to hurt you and I don't want to sleep with him. But I HAVE to. It's not a choice, Lief; can you understand that?"

I thought back to Appius and his maker's commands. I had done many vile things against my will because he had forced them from me, and while Sookie did not have magics binding her, I could appreciate that it was maybe the same.

"Yes, I can," And I did, even if I didn't like it, "Sookie, seasons may change, winter to spring, but I will love you until the end of time – come what may."

"And come what may – I will love you until my dying day."

* * *

 **A/N: Last pieces of dialogue are from the song "Come What May" from the movie... so I know I didn't promise an HEA, but eff that... so bear with me through the angst...We. Are. Going. To. Get. Our. HEA :) Oh, and Bill's 100% gonna die, as he does in all my stories.**


	9. El Tango de Roxanne

**A/N: Okay, so there is a near rape scene in this chapter. If you've seen the movie, you know its coming; otherwise, it's not graphic, just be aware. Basically a trigger warning.**

* * *

Eric POV

We were doing our final rehearsals, putting the finishing touches on the Moulin Faerie's show when the King threw out some unwanted and random feedback. Arlene sauntered away from his side and I gave her the stink eye – that damn frenemy had surely caused the mess.

"I don't much like this ending."

Why the fuck did he think we would give two shits whether or not he liked the ending? Oh yeah, it came to me like a kick to the stomach – this show was supposed to be for him.

"I just don't think it's believable," He chimed in again, "Why would the noblewoman give up a rich and spoiled life with the Duke to run off with the poor and simple shepherd boy?"

The King cast a glance in my direction. I didn't have to hear it to know that fucking Arlene – who wished vehemently that Sookie's life was hers; Pam had told me so – had insinuated that Sookie and I were running around behind his back. It certainly didn't help that the story had transformed in a way that Sookie and crew were living out the strange love triangle I had found myself in. They say writers write what they know – I guess that's too fucking true. And now my heartfelt musings were swinging back around to bite us all in the asses.

The King squawked again.

"Plus, once the shepherd boy has satisfied his lust, he will leave the noblewoman with nothing. Truly the audience will find this ending insipid and unbelievable – it's utter bullshit, and I don't like it. Not. One. Fucking. Bit. She should end up with the Duke; it is the logical choice, what IS going to happen. She BELONGS to him, with him. This shepherd boy should go the fuck away before he is given a reason to regret staying."

His meaning could not be missed – he wasn't just talking about the ending.

I rushed at him, fangs at the ready, my fingers itching like claws, ready to divest the fucking king of his head – I understood Sookie believed we needed to suffer this fool, but my anger… well I guess I was feeling a little bit hot-headed. I towered over him and when he popped his own fangs, I laughed – they were so tiny, like a baby vamp. I could barely stifle my laughter – so I didn't bother. He refused to cower, but his eyes betrayed him. The fear in the room was palpable, and just about everyone moved away from us, afraid of being drawn into a bloody fight. Pam took her position as my second, my child, at my side, but Sookie did the unexpected. With a dramatic eye roll, missed by no one, she stepped between us – myself and Compton – facing the King.

I knew her purpose – don't do this – and I backed off, spotting after that the King's guard was positioned at the balcony, a crossbow aimed in my direction. Thank the gods one of the two of us was thinking with her head. It may have been about her people, but it was also about me – a thought that make it easier for me to stomach her next actions. Sookie was a brilliant actress.

"Oh, you know how these bohemian writers can be, heads in the clouds, foolish – always writing about all the pretty little things they can't have. Dreamers."

She moved her hand in my direction, waving me off like I was simply a fly in her ointment, like it was a case of unrequired puppy-love. I hated it, vehemently, but I had to admit that she was good, very good – the King devoured every word like it was gospel spilling from Sookie's lips.

"They don't live in the real world, like we do. Come now, my King; let's retire to your castle and have a little _supper_ … once we're both thoroughly _satiated_ , then maybe, just maybe we can see how you feel about the ending."

Sookie had waggled her eyebrows at each innuendo, and I tamped down my fury – and desire to vomit – as the King licked his lips lasciviously. Her easy seduction complete; she laced her fingers into the King's to draw him up from his chair and out of the theatre.

I stared at them as they left, my fangs clicking down and puncturing my gums. Blood filled my mouth as it also glistened in my eyes. Jason, amazingly awake, came to stand at my side, and patted my shoulder.

"Faeries man, can't trust 'em any more than you can love 'em."

Jealousy stirred in me again, as Jason went on and on about how "women of the night" couldn't be trusted because at the end of the day their bodies always belonged to the man with the most money. He was wrong, but part of me wanted to admit that he was right – she had never been mine to have.

I took to the streets; I had to distract myself and a directionless walk would do me some good.

* * *

Sookie POV

I led the King away. This was it, the one chance I had to unfuck what we had spent the last couple of days fucking up. I was glad I had dressed up for the final rehearsal, donned a long black gown that hugged my every curve with my blonde hair loose and wavy. I was ready; this was it. I took a couple deep breaths as we walked arm in arm over to the King's abode, which was incredibly close to the Moulin Faerie. I could do this – I repeated it over and over to myself because it was nothing I hadn't done before. But Lief had sparked something in my heart that was making this deceit painful – not because I was deceiving the King, but because in essence I was betraying myself, my love.

I didn't really wanna be a big ol' faker anymore, I thought, as I sat across from the King, sensually nibbling on strawberries and giggling innocently as I sipped champagne. It all felt so exhausting, and all I could think of was Lief and the look on his face as I bid him to stand-down from the King. I could only hope he realized my reasoning, saw the arrow that had his name on it.

And everything felt worth it, knowing the man I loved was alive somewhere out there.

The King pulled me roughly by the wrist out onto the balcony. He flicked his tongue along my neck, standing behind me, holding me in place. I wasn't really listening to what he was saying, but I could tell it was time to submit – to lose myself. A wave of sadness overtook me, and I let myself think of Lief, picture that he was the vampire behind me. It made it easier, and I was grateful to have the fantasy, something to hold onto.

Everything felt wrong, but it would just be sex and a blood exchange – it meant nothing. It didn't have to mean anything. But it did mean something, it did. And I couldn't just ignore the panic rising within me as the King groped at me, growling into my neck. He spoke words of love – the few things my ears heard, bile rising in my throat – repeating the word 'mine' over and over to a point where it felt more threatening than anything else.

But I could do this – I had to do this – even if every fiber of my being was screaming at me not to.

I ground my butt slowly into his groin, feeling dirty and ashamed of myself for the first time in my life, letting a tear slip down my cheek, chanting in my head that it was a job, a duty – a necessary and unavoidable evil.

I looked down at the streets and saw Lief, wandering aimlessly, and I couldn't help myself.

"Come what may… No."

I couldn't do this. I _wouldn't_ do this.

The King stiffened and stilled in a way that only a vampire would be capable of doing – unmoving, like a statue – his fingers digging into my hips. He glanced down to the street and I knew instantly – as he pierced my skin through my dress – that he saw Lief, that he knew what caused my hesitancy, my dismissal.

"Oh," He growled, "I see how it is now." And he spun me around, grabbing me roughly by the wrists and vamping us inside. I cried out at the pain.

"You are just a faerie whore, aren't you Princess?" He sneered at me.

I dared not answer; he looked like a monster, and I knew better then to mess with monsters.

"You've been opening your legs for all sorts of disgusting supernaturals, haven't you!? Even after you told me you loved me. You made me believe you LOVED ME!"

There was an edge of desperation in his voice, as he gripped my wrists so tightly they began to bleed, forcing me to the floor. He had never believed it possible that I wouldn't want him – he had never truly seen Lief as a rival for my affections. My eyes widened as it became painfully obviously to me that something had broken inside him, that he intended to release his beast – and punish me.

He began to sing the tune I had sung to him so many nights before and it was the creepiest and scariest experience of my life, as he touched my hair, my arm, vamped in front of me every time I moved away from him. I ran to each corner of the room, only to find him in front of me at every pass. He was relentless and I was terrified. Violently, he ripped my dress from my body, and I knew I would have bruises in each place it tore. He taunted me with his fangs, and I backed away from him as I tried to cover myself with my hands and arms.

He intended to take all my choices from me; he told me I belonged to him by contract and that he was going to take what was his – whether I liked it or not. I prayed to my Gods to save me.

My fear only seemed to turn him on, incite him further and he continued to sing his sickening song, ripping my underclothes from me before pushing me onto the bed. Tears fell from my eyes in hoards and I clawed and hit at him, screaming at him to stop, to leave me alone, to let me be. He thrust his fangs into my neck, pulling back and striking again at my shoulder, and again at my breast. He bit repeatedly, pausing only to divest himself of his own clothes.

I finally stopped fighting; it was only making it worse. I couldn't believe this was happening.

And then suddenly, it wasn't.

King Compton fell onto my body, and I screamed out, pushing him off of me. Lafayette was next to the bed; he had broken the King's neck – not that it would kill him. I didn't know why Lafayette was there and I didn't care. Somehow he always knew when to save me, and I would never question his loyalty to me; he loved me like a brother loves a sister.

I shook and trembled, unable to shake what had almost happened as Lafayette wrapped the sheets about my body and carried me out of that fucking castle and back to Lief, to my love.

* * *

Lief was in my room as Lafayette carried me in. His face contained fury and fear as he took in my form, my nakedness covered only by a sheet. Lafayette allowed Lief to take me from his arms, and then he left the room.

"I couldn't do it," I squeaked out; I felt so small, "I couldn't do it," I repeated, "I didn't want to pretend anymore." And tears, once again, poured from my eyes as he held me close to his chest, knitting his free hand into my hair.

"He hurt you."

"He tried to."

Lief was quiet as he nuzzled his face into my hair. His skin wasn't warm, but I felt warmed in his arms; my heartbeat slowed to an even beat. I felt… complete and whole. Maybe it was the faerie-bonding, but honestly I think it was the love I had for him. But I couldn't stop crying, stop shaking.

"Shhhh…" He whispered, "I've got you; I've got you."

"Lief…"

But he cut me off, burying his head farther into my neck. My first thought was that he seemed embarrassed; why would he be embarrassed?

"My name… is… Eric."

He said it so slowly, I wondered if I had misheard him.

"What?" I said, pushing away from him, but still in his arms; I wriggled and squirmed and he placed me onto my bed, taking a step back from me.

And then he told me everything, and I mean everything. It was cute that he thought I would be mad at him – for lying to me about his name – but of course I wasn't, because his name had nothing to do with his heart and I had no doubts about his heart. He healed all the bites with his blood, and I was whole again, untouched.

We made love, slow and reverently, worshipping each other's bodies. I turned my neck to him, once again, and this time he asked me to bite him first. I pierced his skin with enough force to draw blood, and he slipped his fangs into my neck. A bond burst between us, and it felt heightened, the feelings transferring between us with ease – I was sure in that moment that we had faerie-bonded.

Satiated, we slumped into each other's arms.

* * *

"We should run away together."

Lief – no, Eric – said it and it felt so simple.

"Yes."

And I meant it. The King would surely kill me after the night's events. I loved my people, but dying for them… didn't feel right in this moment.

"Okay, I will gather my things from Pam's and we will leave at sunset tomorrow night after I rise, before the show."

* * *

Dawn broke, and I woke many many hours later.

I was happier than I had ever been. Until Niall and Adele walked in; then everything changed.

"What are you doing, Gosling?" Niall said.

Adele was silent. I was obviously packing, obviously leaving.

"Leaving you, Niall. Leaving you, the Moulin Faerie – everything! I'm going!"

"No…"

I was infuriated at him. He was my kin, my grandfather, and he had always expected me to serve my people – and while I had been willing before, I wasn't going to die for nothing, and the King probably just wanted me dead. Since Lafayette had snapped the Kings neck, I didn't expect that our "happy ending" was still at hand, and I wasn't going to die just to be a martyr.

"All my life you made me believe that I was only worth what someone would pay for me. You never let me be a person! You made me believe I was an object, that I didn't matter!"

I screamed it at Niall and he winced, feeling properly chastised, I was sure.

"I've heard from the King."

"I don't care," I quipped back quickly.

"He's willing to forgive, to go forward with the contract if you give up the writer."

"NO! I've just told you; I'm leaving with Lief!"

"You're dying, Sookie…"

It felt like a punch to the gut and I looked to Adele, who nodded her head despondently. Why had no one told me? My illness. Why had no one told me it was life threatening…?

"Iron poisoning," Niall explained, "And the treatment isn't helping. The doctor says you have days, maybe a week at best."

Adele nodded her agreement. I was shocked; I had nothing to say.

"Okay, well I'm still going to go. I should get to enjoy life…"

"The King is going to have Lief killed."

The words stopped my heart. It skipped more than just the one beat.

"Yes, gosling, if you do not go to the King at sunset, he will have Lief ended, swiftly and without mercy."

I was between a rock and a hard place, but losing my love, letting my love die when he could have many happy years, was the worst thing I could imagine. My death… was inevitable. I knew I had been sick, but it was shocking to hear I had less time then I had supposed. The idea of Eric losing his eternity for me – when all I had was days at most – was excruciating for me. The pain of his potential death was unbearable for my heart.

"What can I do? He loves me. He wants me to run away with him."

"Send Lief away; only you can save him."

"How?"

"Gosling, you are an amazing actress, tell him what he needs to hear – make him believe that you don't love him, that he has no reason to stay."

My heart was breaking, but my grandfather was right; the only way to save Eric was to send him away.

* * *

 **A/N: Angst on the horizon. HEA, I promise.**


	10. The Show Must Go On

**A/N: Hard chapter to write...**

* * *

Sookie POV

I felt like I was dressing for my funeral as I slipped on a simple black satin dress and donned a black pillbox feathered hat with a netted veil. And in a way I guess I was – all of my dreams were dying, and in some sense, I was their executioner. But I shrugged off the guilt of it; this was about keeping Eric alive, letting my heart go on in the world – even after I was long gone.

I thought of the bond we had formed the night before. Eric would know if I wasn't truthful with him; it was why, despite previous requests, I had never bonded with one of my clients. My job was to create a fantasy world for them, a world where they were the center of mine – royal bullshit at its finest; my queendom with carefully chosen words, actions, and expressions as my loyal subjects. A bond would've made my job harder – but not impossible. I hated that I knew I could beat the bond – could deceive Eric – because I didn't have to necessarily lie to save his life, to send him away.

I pulled down the veil over my eyes; my makeup would be flaking and he might smell my tears, but my smile was going to stay on. I gave myself a sad smile in the mirror as the sun began to set; this was going to be the most difficult and important performance of my whole life.

* * *

Eric POV

When I flew into Sookie's room, I knew something was off, was wrong.

Her luggage lay open – and empty – on the floor beside the bed and she stood stilled in front of her vanity mirror, but it looked as if her thoughts were lost in space. The bond had a strange hum in it, like she was altogether too calm – it was unsettling, to say the least.

"You're not packed."

She didn't even turn from the mirror as she answered me.

"I don't need to pack."

"Why not?"

I was utterly confused; was she going to leave everything here?

"Because I'm not going anywhere with you. I'm staying here."

Sookie's response had been short and chilly, as if something had changed her opinion about me, how she felt about me. I could not understand it, and our bond continued to thrum with the same calm joined by an unexpected emotion – resolve. What was happening? Was she about to… break up with me?

"I don't want to go."

And there it was, the thing I was afraid of hearing.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

I couldn't help it; my anger was instantaneous – something was wrong and I didn't like it. Not. At. All. I hated how evasive she was being, like I was going to have to draw everything out of her; it was as if she wasn't even going to participate in the conversation, like I was a nuisance to her, meant nothing to her. Like everything between us was already over and I wasn't even worth her time.

"Niall came to me this morning. He told me the King would forgive me – go on with the marriage, let me save my people – if I give up this silly little affair."

Truth, I could feel it; it was all truth and I didn't understand it – and I didn't like it one fucking bit. What the fuck was going on? When I went to my day death there was a plan to leave and now, not so many hours later, that plan had been shot to shit.

I began pacing about the room, becoming frantic and frenzied. Why should it matter that the King would _forgive her_? Sookie should hate him! He had ATTACKED her; he had tried to rape her – and yet she was acting as if it was simply a misunderstanding, as if she had misinterpreted his actions. I saw the bites – I had healed the fucking bites! – I knew better than to believe it was anything less than an assault. Why was she acting otherwise? What the fuck was wrong with her?!

"He'd forgive you!? What the fuck are you talking about? He attacked you! He hurt you! How can you even think of being with him!?"

* * *

Sookie POV

"It's not the same world it was yesterday. I see things differently now."

And I did; everything was different. I could plainly see that if I chose Eric that I would be damning him, signing his death warrant. The King was insane, that much was evident, and I believed wholeheartedly that if I stole away with Eric in the night that the King would move heaven and earth to hunt us down – take back what he believed was his and kill the creature that stood in his way – Eric, my heart. The King was a sick bastard who knew no mercy and lived, very clearly, outside of reality; he was crazy-cakes and had no qualms proving it.

I watched Eric's countenance turn impassive, but I felt his ire – and as much as I regretted breeding these feelings in him, I was glad. It was working – he was growing angry with me; all I had to do was turn that anger to hate, or at least indifference. This day was surely the worst day of my life – guiltily I was happy I few days left, so that I wouldn't have to relive the memory of this one for much longer. My only respite in any of this was that it was going to save Eric's life – even though he would never know it.

Neither of us spoke for several minutes. Eric finally broke the silence.

"You're turning your back on me, on us. Your duty wins out, even after everything that has happened."

Eric's voice was eerily calm, like he wasn't talking to me, like he was talking to himself.

What could I say? If I tried to explain, I'd have to lie – and he'd know – but if I told him the truth, I'd have to ultimately watch the King's demon guard tear my lover apart piece by piece. It was a catch-22; damned if I did and damned if I didn't – so I opted for brevity.

"Yes."

Eric said nothing, shocked – I was sure of it – but I didn't dare turn to look at him; I couldn't stop crying silent tears and I knew if I allowed myself a glance in his direction, to see how much I was hurting him, I'd be undone – unable to keep my course – and I would have to watch him die at the hands of a pyscho King. No, I wasn't going to let him lose his life for a woman who was at death's doorstep, who had only but a few days to offer him. I turned from the mirror to look out the window; it was getting darker and darker by the minute, and the King was surely on his way to the Moulin Faerie.

"You have to go. You have to go now, and I'm not coming with you."

* * *

Eric POV

I could feel that she was becoming more and more anxious as our conversation carried on. I didn't even consider that she might be scared of me – because she knew I'd never hurt her – no, I was sure something else was going on, that someone was forcing her to make this decision. Her life had never been her own – Niall – he was the cause of this, I was sure, but I needed to hear it from her. I needed to know that I hadn't been a fool.

"There's something the matter, tell me what it is. Tell me what's wrong. Tell me the truth!"

She flinched at my words, finally turning to look at me; tears spilling down her face.

"It's not just about my duty to my people. I want to be with the King. You can feel that I'm telling you the truth; don't deny you can feel the truth behind my words – you don't want it to be true, but that doesn't change things."

She was right that I could read it in the bond, but I wasn't going to accept it, not without her saying it – telling me plainly that she was giving me up. I deserved at least that – her dismissal.

"Who's making you say these things?! You don't want to do this! Tell me you want this to be over, that you don't love me!"

* * *

Sookie POV

Inside, my heart was breaking, shattering into pieces I knew I would never be able to knit back together. I was disgusted with myself while feeling a modicum of pride. Despite his insistence that I prove it, Eric believed me, he had bought it – mostly – and I was going to die knowing that he would live forever, that he was safe, that he hadn't lost his life because of my own foolish mistakes, my own selfishness.

"No one is making me do this." And no one was; this was my choice – to save him and sacrifice myself.

"I want this," And I did because I wanted him to live especially since I wasn't going to.

"And I will say anything to get you to go; if what you need for you to leave here and never come back is to hear me tell you I don't love you, if that's the only thing you need to hear to make you go, then I can say it – I don't love you. You asked me before… if this was all just fake, part of my arsenal, and I never really answered you; what do you think now? What would your answer be?"

I couldn't even bear to glance at him as I said it, as I told the man I loved that I didn't love him, but I knew the bond would resound with the truth of my words – because they had been manipulative. I wanted so much for him to go that it was true that I would say anything to achieve that goal, which allowed me one very important, very necessary lie – that I didn't love him. But of course I did, with my whole heart. I was an awful person, and I was glad in this moment that I only had a few short days left to live – I deserved to die for breaking the heart of my love, and my own.

And I felt it; his heart break at my words. It was crippling, consuming; it broke the last part of me. I was a shell; it was like I had already died. My natural death would be welcomed; it couldn't come soon enough. Every part of me hated that I had done this and I feared he could feel my hesitancy, and I – almost – wanted him to feel it, to tell me I was full of shit and take me into his arms. I thought about running off with him, stealing more than just one moment of happiness – stealing a lifetime. I missed him already and he was standing right in front of me.

But before I could do the unthinkable – take it all back and say fuck it; risk his existence – Eric flew from the room, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

Hollowed out and empty, I left the room to go prepare myself for the show, to marry the King, with just the tiniest bit of relief that Eric would live to see many more days after this one.

* * *

Pam POV

I had found Eric in shambles, and it had sobered me quick. Before I could call him a buzz kill – teasing him like I always did – he opened our maker-child bond and I was drowned by his anguish, his sorrow. Our bond had been closed for days, ever since the party in the Red Room, and I had let it go – assuming he wanted his privacy, like he was prone to do sometimes – but now I wasn't so sure why he had done it.

Somehow he had changed from the confident and steely-faced vampire who had saved me from my downtrodden life and taught me to be the bitch that I was into the broken shell of a vampire before me who was crying bloody tears, mourning for his broken heart. He had tried to explain it succinctly, but his words made no sense to me.

"That doesn't sound like Sookie, Master."

And it didn't. She wasn't deceitful by nature; it was why I had always liked her. Some faeries were content to steal and lie to others, but Sookie? She had been different, more genuine. She was a seductress, but she lied for purpose, not for fun. And yet, his story told a different tale; it was a story of a woman who had tricked and used a man for his body, dumping him the second something better came along, the chance to raise her station.

"She made me believe she loved me. She made me feel these feelings! All lies! Look what I have been reduced to! Why did I waste time with this fucking experiment!?"

I could feel his fury rising and he was quickly approaching bloodlust; if I wasn't careful he was going to take me there with him – as hard as his feelings were crashing through our bond.

"Master…"

It was all he let me say.

"LEAVE! LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE! AS YOUR MAKER I COMMAND YOU."

And with that an invisible force – the magic of the maker-child bond – forced me from the room before I could tell him what Claudine had told me when I rose that night – that there was a rumor going around the Moulin Faerie that Sookie was dying and she only had a few days left. I couldn't go back to Eric because of his command, so I headed towards the Moulin Faerie to take part in the show. But I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to what I had learned that night.

Claudine said that Sookie wasn't long for this world and Eric said she had unceremoniously broken up with him – and the more I thought about it, the more I was sure that the two events were related.

* * *

Eric POV

Appius' words rang through my head – only a weak man allowed himself to be manipulated by a woman. It was why he had commanded me not to seek female companionship when I was with him, and despite the fact that it had more than irked me at the time, I wondered in this moment if he had been right to try to me keep from women. Appius was a sick son of a bitch and a cruel maker, but I couldn't shrug the feeling that maybe some of what he had taught me had been truth – for my own good. He had only let me go, let me experience the things he had kept from me, once he realized I would always long for them.

Maybe this was his purpose, to prove to me that the grass only appeared greener on the other side, to show me that the world inside his bubble was better still than the world outside it. For the first time ever, I wished to be with my maker, be a mindless drone and fuckdoll, because at least it would mean that these feelings, this virus inside me, would cease to exist.

I had to give it to her – Sookie was a hell of an actress, the best. She had made me believe that she held the same affections for me that I had for her. Every word, every embrace had told me that she loved me, that she felt for me the things I felt for her, and I had fallen for it, become just another supernatural notch on Sookie's bedpost. I wanted to believe I was wrong, but the bond didn't lie; when she told me she didn't love me, it rang true – there were no deceptions behind the things she had said.

My heart broke at that moment. I couldn't even feel what she might be feeling since my own emotions were so overwhelming.

And something ached inside me to hurt her back. To throw everything in her face, to make her feel as puny and insignificant as she had made me feel, to treat her like she was merely a conquest, to pay her for her attentions – even though, despite my pain, I refused to see her as a courtesan. Hurting her wouldn't piece me back together – I knew that – but it would make me feel like the vampire I had once been – strong and emotionless.

So I gathered all the money that I had and made my way one last time towards the Moulin Faerie. I was going to confront Sookie and tell her that she also meant nothing to me – and it didn't matter to me that it was going to be the biggest lie of my entire life.

* * *

 **A/N: Breaking my own heart, watching these two. UGH! Angst! I hate it!**


	11. I Only Speak the Truth

Sookie POV

Everything was beautiful; the colors were vibrant – reds, yellows, blue, and purples – the stage was ornately decorated; the costumes were elaborate and extravagant, but it all felt dulled and muted to me. I wasn't sure if it was the sickness or my sadness taking the beauty out of the scenery around me.

The show was in full-swing and my heart wasn't in it – but of course, it didn't have to be. Whether I liked it or not, this was how I would be spending the few moments I had left – performing for a King I despised to impress people that I didn't give a shit about, his subjects. Fate really was a cruel fucking bitch.

But at least Eric would be okay – well maybe not okay, but alive. I could only hope that the cruelty of my rejection, of my betrayal, would fade with time – and he would live as wild and carefree as I had seen him. I had never met another so eager to love and live, and I wanted that for him, even if it couldn't be with me.

I hated the idea that he would believe everything between us had been false, fake – I didn't want our love story to end that way. I wrote him a letter that Claudine assured me she would deliver in my wake so that he would know the truth – all of it; it was stained with my tears. With every passing minute, I was becoming more and more somber, thinking of everything I would miss, that I would never get to feel again.

My movements in the show were mechanical as I sang and danced, writhing along to the beat, displaying my assets for the King's minions and fellow monarchs. What did I care? It was just a body; one that was knocking at death's door. Every so often, I spotted the King, in my peripheral vision, pointing proudly, fangs down and smiling smugly, towards the stage. I didn't need to hear the words "mine, mine, mine" to know it was what he was boasting. Yes, I was his – blah, blah, blah; little did he know, his little faerie fiancé came with quite a short expiration date, was on borrowed time.

Time slowed down for a second as I struggled to catch my breath mid-song. Niall, playing the Duke – again, always with the ewww – shot a look of concern in my direction, and I smiled as the world sped back up; we soldiered on with a show that neither of us cared very much about. It didn't even have a happily-ever-after anymore. The King's ending had won out and I was to end up with the Duke – just as further proof that even in a contrived fantasy world I was his, first and foremost.

Sometimes art really does reflect life.

* * *

Eric POV

I flew towards the Moulin Faerie and bypassed the front gate altogether, landing in the garden outside Sookie's Red Room, the room where she had seduced me, made me believe that she and I were of the same mind, sharing the same love.

On my trip over, I could hear Appius's voice in my head, telling me that the fairy had done exactly what was in her nature – used another's weakness against them. I grew more and more irate. How dare she make such a fool of me! My mind conjured images of her and her fairy kin joking about her dominance over me, laughing at the stupid vampire who had fallen prey to her wiles, her act. I was torturing myself, and I knew it, but I couldn't bring myself to stop – it was all I could do to keep myself from deviating from my purpose, telling myself that if I confronted Sookie, the vice grip clutching my undead heart would dissolve. I would feel whole again.

As I entered the backstage area, I could hear her singing my songs – the songs I had written for and about her – and in that moment, I needed no further encouragement. I wanted to tear her apart, make her feel exactly how I felt – broken.

I found Jason asleep – of course – and I stole the jacket of his costume to try to sneak backstage without arousing suspicion. I mean, no one was going to believe I was Jason, but I wanted them to believe I was part of the show. It seemed fitting, dressing as the leading man in the tale I wrote about myself and Sookie, like things were coming full circle.

* * *

Pam POV

I watched from the rafters when Eric confronted Sookie as she walked towards her dressing area backstage. She was visibly startled by his approach, and begged him to leave as she changed into her character's wedding dress for the marriage scene – the pleading in her voice was not lost on me, but it seemed like my maker didn't hear it.

"You can't be here; you need to leave. You need to go."

"I've come to pay. I don't need a pity fuck; let me pay – like your other _clients_ –for the _services_ you rendered."

"Go, Eric. Just go. Take your money, and just go."

She walked away from him, trembling and stumbling slightly, towards the curtain and my maker followed right behind her. He waved his money wildly in her face with one hand, while grabbing her arm with the other.

"Let me pay! Tell me it wasn't real! If it wasn't real, I should pay! LET ME PAY!"

His voice boomed, and if not for the dull roar from the audience I was certain they would've heard him all the way to the nosebleed seats.

And then the curtain rose; intermission was over.

* * *

Eric POV

The stage lights burned brightly into my eyes. I dropped Sookie's arm immediately – I regretted that I had become physical with her, let my beast take over. I could see the king, sitting in the front row, glaring at me, obviously livid as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. I was ruining his moment – his show. I looked straight at him as I spoke my next words, sputtering them out with great effort.

"I've come to pay my whore," It was sad that it worked perfectly into the show, this moment, "She was never mine to have; it seems she has always belonged to you, and you can have her. I'm done with her; she is yours."

I threw my money at the ground only to see that Sookie had collapsed to her knees. It took everything in me not to whisk her into my arms, to raise her up again.

The king nodded his acceptance of my words, and I began to walk from the stage, down the front steps into the audience. I could smell Sookie's tears, and they didn't bring me the satisfaction I had hoped for. No, instead it was as if I had taken a hammer to the shards of my heart to ground them into dust. This was a mistake, a mistake I needed to walk away from.

I heard Pam scream from somewhere above us.

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is to love and be loved in return!"

I couldn't understand my child's purpose, but then Sookie began to sing, and I stopped dead in my tracks.

* * *

Sookie POV

Pam's words struck at my heart.

I couldn't do it; I couldn't let Eric go without knowing how I felt – fuck the letter; he needed to hear it from me. So I sang our song, the one he'd written about our love, the one the King had cut out of the show.

"Never knew I could feel like this. It's like I've never seen the sky before. Want to vanish inside your kiss... Listen to my heart can you hear it sing? Come back to me and FORGIVE everything! Seasons may change winter to spring... I. Love. You. Until the end of time… Come what may…"

I slumped over a bit, trying to catch my breath. I saw black spots in my vision, but I fought them back. Not now, not now, I prayed to my Gods; I wanted more time, more time than this. Eric turned to me and I caught his eyes.

"I love you," I said low enough he would know it was meant for him, and not the audience.

* * *

Eric POV

I felt it, her love, flooding through our bond and while some part of me wanted to question it, I didn't want to – so I didn't. This felt real, and if that wasn't enough, the look in her eyes was one of pure devotion and longing. I finally realized that the broken feeling inside me wasn't mine alone – Sookie had broken her own heart when she told me to go.

I rushed over to her, crouching to the ground and pulling her up with me.

"I love you too, min älskade. Always." And I kissed the top of her head as I pulled her into my arms.

Pam screamed again, seeing something I hadn't seen.

"He's trying to kill you!"

And she jumped from her perch above us to tackle the King's demon guard, knocking a crossbow from his hands. It clattered across the stage and down into the audience. My child ripped at his throat, killing him within minutes – I could not have been more proud. While I hadn't worried that Pam had lost her bite, I had worried that her perpetual drunkenness would affect her reflexes – but NOPE, not at all.

The other supes went into a frenzy at Pam's words – some of them ran and some of them prepared for a fight. The fairies produced fireballs and held them in their hands; it was interesting to see – they had been such a subservient race up until this moment. The audience was shocked to see their power, as some vampires jumped into the aisles to defend the king.

Chaos erupted around us, and I held Sookie close; she was precious to me and I was going to protect her with my life.

The fairies let their light burst forth as the vampires rushed the stage, reducing them to piles of dust, and I was amazed at their magics – why were they taking a submissive stance running the Moulin Faerie? They obviously had power beyond our comprehension.

* * *

Niall POV

I cringed as a fight broke out. It's not that I was against it, but I didn't want Sookie in the crossfire. I could see that she was growing weaker and weaker by the moment. We needed that damn cluviel dor – I needed to take Sookie back to the Faerie Realm to give her, at the very least, an afterlife.

I glanced over at the Sookie and Lief, for more than just a moment, and I saw her happiness and his love – pure and unadulterated – and I felt gross and disgusting. This is what I was keeping her from – a happy life in the arms of someone she loved who loved her. I had been pushing her off on the King, trying to get the necklace – our salvation – but in that moment, I couldn't remember why I had convinced myself not to take it by force.

I popped behind the King, who had risen from his chair to grab the crossbow dropped by his guard; I hated this fucking monster and I could not think of one reason not to end him.

So I did.

A stake appeared in my hand – such was my power, my strength – and I plunged it into the King's back, grabbing the necklace as he disintegrated into dust at my feet. Damn, I should've just done that from the start – why I had ever decided to "play nice" was beyond me.

"THAT'S THE END OF IT!"

I yelled, my features turning harsh, my true form exposed to the supernaturals in the room. The vampires jumped backwards, startled and vamped from the room; I had forgotten how much I loved this – feeling powerful, exerting my authority over others. Thank the Gods, we were on the way back our own realm because this exposure would certainly make us targets; supernaturals always wanted to destroy the things they thought were stronger than themselves.

* * *

Sookie POV

I heard Niall shout that it was over, but those words were truer than he realized; my knees buckled under me and I slipped to the floor. I felt as if my bones had melted; this was it – my death, I was sure of it. Tears burst forth my eyes – how much did the Gods fucking hate me, taking me the very second I was free from my duty – and I gasped for breaths I couldn't seem to catch.

It was as if the world was frozen around us, as my people stilled, shocked at the sudden turn of events. They wept openly and unabashedly – they knew. Somehow, they knew.

I watched Eric's countenance turn from a smile to a frown as he swept me into his arms, glancing about my form, trying to find the source of my pain.

"I'm dying," I sputtered out weakly, "I'm dying, Eric. Iron poisoning."

"SOMEONE DO SOMETHING!" He shouted, dropping his fangs, sounding more anxious than angry. No one moved, or even flinched. Niall's head was hung low.

"Shhhh…shhh my love," I didn't want these to be our last moments, "there's nothing anyone can do. It's okay. It's okay, Eric… I'm sorry we didn't meet sooner... that I sent you away... I love you; I love you so much… he said he'd kill you… I couldn't let that happen…"

It was getting harder and harder to make the words come, to get them out.

"I can't go on without you… Don't leave me Sookie; don't leave."

Eric whispered, bloody tears slipping from his eyes to stain his cheeks. I tried to reach my arm up to cup his face, but my body would no longer cooperate.

"You've… got… so… much… to… give….Eric… I… will…always… be… with… you."

I closed my eyes. And then everything went black.

* * *

Eric POV

My mind was spinning a million miles a minute, recollecting each and every time I had seen Sookie unwell, wondering how I had failed to connect the dots that something was truly wrong, that she was dying. I cried – more than I had in my whole undead life – with my face buried in her hair as she spoke to me, barely able to form the words she longed for me to hear.

Her body stilled in my arms and I did the only thing I could think of to save her, to bring her back to me.

* * *

Pam POV

I watched as Eric slipped his fangs into Sookie's neck, divesting her body of its tainted blood. Niall moved towards them and I stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. When he turned towards me, I shook my head – it may have been too late, but we all needed to let my maker try.

In seconds Eric was done, tearing a gaping wound in his wrist and placing it at Sookie's mouth. She made no moves, but he massaged at her neck, almost as if he was trying to will his blood into her body, through her veins. There would be no way to know if it had worked, not for at least three days.

"We have to go Pam; I need to take my people back to our realm." Niall said to me, "If I leave her and this doesn't work, she'll be lost to us forever."

"And if it works?"

"I'll bring her back to him; I swear it."

It took longer to convince Eric, much longer than it had taken me. There had been a lot of growling and "mine" involved, but my maker agreed – begrudgingly – that he would not rob Sookie of her chance at the Summerlands, at an afterlife, on the off-chance that it had been too late to turn her. I was somewhat pleased – my maker's time away from Appius really had changed him, he really had become a different vampire, one that had love in him.

Eric and I watched as Niall held the King's necklace in his hand, wishing for the thing that Sookie had given her entire life for. Eric grasped for my hand, seeking some comfort in the moment as Sookie, and the rest of the fairies, disappeared before our very eyes.

"We will see her again; I know it." I said, patting his hand in mine, not sure if I believed my own words.

But Eric had not given up hope, and I wasn't shocked in the slightest at his next utterance.

"Come, we only have three days to kill Appius; he'll never let me keep her."

We made quick work of things, but after three days times, there was no Sookie. Instead, Claudine showed up and handed Eric a letter.

* * *

 **A/N: One more chapter after this.**


	12. Nature Boy Reprisal

Narrator POV

My maker stopped the story there, leaving me with all kinds of unanswered questions. He rose from his spot across from me and began to walk away. It was obvious to me that he was very upset, remembering those moments. Suddenly I did not care about what had happened in the last thousand years; all I wanted to know was what had happened during those three days. I padded along after him, grabbing at his shoulder to turn him around.

"You killed your maker?"

I asked, unsure as to whether or not he would answer me. He sighed unnecessarily and I could see red liquid brimming in the edges of his eyes.

"Yes. As I said, I had to. I could not risk Niall bringing Sookie back to me only to have her taken. My maker was a monster, and she was light; he would've ended her without a second thought – if only to hurt me."

"Sookie didn't become a vampire, did she?"

My words came out in a hushed whisper.

"She freed me in many ways, changed my life. Because of Sookie, I left Paris as a different vampire, a different man. She gave everything, for everyone. Three days after the fairies left, Claudine returned to me through a portal Niall created with a letter, containing all the things Sookie had left unsaid. It was a beautiful letter; Sookie was devoted to her people, but also to me. When she sent me away, she had loved me very much; she was mine – and I was hers; I am hers.

Claudine explained that time in the Faerie Realm does not move as it does here on Earth. She sheepishly told me it could be hundreds of human years before three days passed in her realm. I wanted to be angry – I felt like I had been tricked – but as a vampire, all I had was time. I waited, as patiently as I could.

Hundreds of years ago, Claudine appeared, once more, this time to tell me that three days had passed and Sookie had not been turned vampire. I am not ashamed to admit that I openly wept bloody tears…"

Looking off into space, my maker sat down to tell me one last story.

* * *

Eric POV

"I'm sorry, Eric, but I thought you deserved to know…"

Claudine refused to look me in the eyes. I wasn't even sure how the fairy had found me; I was nowhere near Paris, and yet here she was, standing before me, delivering the worst news of my life.

She explained that three days had finally passed, but Sookie had not risen as a vampire. I had never lost hope, not in hundreds of years, that I would see my love again, that Sookie would be brought back to me. But the magicks must have been too late, which meant she was gone.

Tears began to spill from my eyes, staining my cheeks red. Claudine patted me on the shoulder, trying to bring me some form of comfort, respite from my all-too-consuming pain. I growled at her, and she jumped back, turning to leave.

I buried my face in my hands. My sorrow was palpable, but there was another feeling slipping through, whispering inside me, tugging at my heart. But it couldn't be…

"Wait," I raised my head and called after Claudine as she opened the door, "You called me Eric. I never told you my name was Eric; I only told Sookie…"

"Nope, you never did tell me your real name. She said you wouldn't find this funny, but I just couldn't pass up the chance to fuck with you. But it's obvi that I went too far. Sorry!"

She grinned broadly as Sookie stepped into the room, looking every bit as beautiful and breathtaking as the day I first saw her. I vamped over to her and had her in my arms within seconds. She wasn't a vampire – that much was obvious – her skin smelled of sunlight and her heart was beating wildly in her chest. Her skin felt so warm against mine, like perfection; I was finally whole again.

"You're here! You're really here! How? How is this possible?"

I didn't want to question it; she was here with me – that was enough; it was the best day of my long, long life – but my curiosity had been piqued.

"I don't understand it all; Claudine filled in some of it for me," Sookie gestured towards Claudine, who winked at me and popped from the room, "They waited, the faeries, to see if I would turn vampire. Time moves much slower in the Faerie Realm, I hope Claudine told you that…"

She trailed off waiting for my confirmation; I nodded.

"I was dead; I'm sure I was, but it was also like I wasn't. I was somewhere else – outside my body – I think it was the Summerlands, but there was no one else there, not really. It was strange. And then suddenly I wasn't alone; there was an ethereal woman there draped in white, a faerie woman – honestly, I think she was one of my Gods.

Her voice was musical and magical. She thanked me and apologized, and I was shocked! She said I had done a great service to my people, giving my life for them the way I had, giving them everything.

I know I didn't really get to explain, but the iron poisoning happened years ago. Claudine had been taken hostage by a supernatural, who wanted to keep her – it's why she stopped working at the Moulin Faerie – he stabbed me with an iron knife before I could kill him. A piece broke off inside and found its way into my bloodstream. I never regretted what I did, even after learning I was sick; she was my people, and a princess's duty is to her people. That was when Niall realized we had to get back to our realm – we weren't safe in the human world; it would always be dangerous to us.

The faerie goddess had seen that; she had seen it all.

She said she had been surprised – a faerie and a vampire together – watching us, seeing the depth of our love. She said that we're soulmates, we belong together, and that she cried when we lost each other. She said that great sacrifices, like mine, deserved great rewards, and that I deserved a long and happy life with the man I loved.

Then she leaned forward, kissed me on the forehead, and I woke up! Just like that! You should've seen Niall's face; he about shit a brick. Once he was able to form words again, get over the shock he'd experienced, he created a portal for me – and here I am."

I smiled into her hair – she deserved a gift such as this, and I was grateful it was also to my benefit.

"It's been three days for me, and I can only imagine how long it's been for you; take me now Eric, make love to me – I need to feel your body against mine."

I complied, over and over until dawn.

* * *

Narrator POV

"Oh, I just assumed…"

A fairy popped into the room, and I could only guess that the beauty before me was my maker's Sookie. Eric swept her into his arms and planted a steamy kiss on her lips. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and walked her over to me. I bowed; it seemed appropriate – I had never met royalty before.

"Son, I would like for you to meet the love of my life and your mother, Sookie."

She smiled at me and extended her hand. I took it in mine, kissing the back of it.

"Nice to meet you, Lief. You're right, Eric; it really was meant to be."

* * *

 **A/N: Curtains drawn. The end! Thanks for reading and reviewing. Love you guys!**


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